


Treading Dark Waters

by WindMeister8



Series: Somebody To Die For [1]
Category: Code Geass
Genre: Action, Alien Planet, Aliens, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Conspiracy, F/M, Multi, Romance, Science Fiction, Technology, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-11
Updated: 2016-02-03
Packaged: 2018-03-22 10:19:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 23,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3725236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WindMeister8/pseuds/WindMeister8
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Your company has decided to take up the Discovery and Contact of Sovereign Species Challenge organized by the World Government and is now conducting research on Planet Tristan. You are a communications specialist, working on decoding alien signals. You, along with a couple of your close friends, and Lelouch Lamperouge, the genius scientist, have all been relocated to the company's facility on Planet Tristan. On one fine day, the facility is breached by an alien attack. What will become of you, your friends, and Lelouch? And how will this impact the future of the world?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. D-Day

My eyes glazed over again as I read through the research paper on my computer screen. 

_Damn, I should take my afternoon nap._

I had been poring through dozens of papers in the last three hours and the fact that I had less than my typical 8 hours of sleep was getting to me. My eyes wondered out of the window and settled on the other laboratory building, Lab 9. I wondered whether he was still working or maybe eating lunch. 

I had a crush on a fellow scientist, Lelouch, since the day we met. It was stupid but I loved his sweet smile and quiet demeanor. He seemed like a very caring person, but there were times during group bonding sessions when I caught a glimpse of his darker, malicious, and devious side. Most people found it odd or scary, but I found it intriguing. Partly because people found me to be the exact opposite; I tend to show my darker side more often than my caring side. Yet I never really had much one-to-one contact with him. He *technically* knew me and sometimes my mind would deceive me into thinking that he was looking my way. But that couldn’t be possible, right?

I shifted my gaze to the sky, pushing any thoughts of romance to the side. I preferred to think about more realistic issues and leave day-dreaming to the night. _Well, that would technically count as a night dream right?_ Anyway, I just found it weird that the company had decided to take up the Discovery and Contact of Sovereign Species Challenge organized by the World Government and ship us off to this rock. Were there really other species on this planet? Evidence suggests yes but after two months, we haven’t had any _real_ findings to present to the World Government.

_Sigh, might as well go back to staring at those accursed numbers._

As I turned away from the window, a sudden movement in the horizon caught my attention. My eyes widened as I saw _it_ towering in the middle of the facility.

_Holy shit._


	2. First Contact

The creature was about 8 stories tall and had multiple tentacles that supported its large build. Its head had a single slitted eye that seemed to look deep into your soul, and a set of fangs that was bared menacingly and dripping saliva to the ground. My feet were stuck to the ground, refusing to budge as I stared at the creature in shock. 

I watched in slow motion as it lifted one of its tentacles and brought it down like a whip onto the building. The entire space to my left was obliterated and I was now looking at the remains of what used to be the left wing of the Communications and Control building. It was only when the creature lifted its tentacle again that I sprang into action and dashed out of my office.

It was chaos everywhere. People were screaming and running to nowhere in particular. Some were just too shocked to even move.

“(F/N)!!!”

I heard my name being called and whipped my head around. To my relief, I saw Milly, my closest friend in the Communications department, standing near the staircase with a group of her colleagues. 

“Quick! Let’s evacuate! We need to get to the basement in Shelter,” called Milly.

I nodded and started running towards her. As I ran, I turned to look back at the creature. It was still on mass rampage, destroying multiple buildings in the vicinity. Then, I saw multiple smaller sized creatures disappearing into Lab 9 through the damaged roof.

_Wait, that can’t be good. Based on what I’ve seen happen in movies, it’s the small creatures you have to worry about, like velociraptors; not the big T-Rex. But why isn’t there anyone coming out of Lab 9? What about Lelouch?_

I made a quick decision and turned away from Milly, heading in the opposite direction. I had to find out what was happening there.

“(F/N), what the hell are you doing?,” yelled Milly.  
“Just go! I’ll catch up with you later,” I yelled back.

Milly hesitated for a second and then yelled, “You’d better!”

“Yeah if I’m not dead,” I whispered to myself.

I raced to Lab 9 as fast as I could leaping over fallen debris and dodging people. A million questions ran through my mind.

_Were these aliens the ones we have been finding traces of? Were they intelligent enough to send those signals? Did they want to annihilate us? Is he fine?_

I reached the door of Lab 9 and tried to open it but it wouldn’t budge.

_Oh right, stupid me. Card access. Damn it, stop trembling! There’s no time!_

I fumbled with my identity card and swiped it once. 

Nothing. No beep signaling open or access denied.

I tried again and again. No luck. I pounded against the door and looked in through the small glass pane on top. Bodies were scattered all over and the lights were flickering. I looked at each body, checking to see if it was Lelouch. _Where is he?_

Then, I saw someone rushing down the stairs towards the door. As I looked closer, I recognized the black hair and purple eyes of Lelouch Lamperouge. 

_He was safe._

_Or so I thought._


	3. The Attack

**Lelouch’s POV:**

As I ran breathlessly towards the front door, I analyzed every possible angle of my plan for flaws. Unfortunately, there were too many unknown elements which prevented me from deducing the likelihood of its success. But I had to do it; many lives were at stake, including Suzaku, my best friend. 

Suzaku was battling one of the creatures, drawing its attention away from me. Suzaku was undoubtedly a good fighter, but to be honest, his odds of killing it were extremely low. Our only chance of eliminating all of the creatures at once was to activate the emergency evacuation procedure, but to do that, one of us had to go to the control room in the next building and override the security controls.

I finally reached the door and my eyes rested upon _her_.

**Reader’s POV:**

Lelouch seemed calm and collected. He was probably analyzing the situation and formulating a plan. The thought brought about a thin smile on my lips. But as he came closer, I realized that his eyes held a look of anxiety, and guilt. 

_Could it be that something had happened to Suzaku?_

I knew the two of them were close; childhood friends if I remember correctly. Lelouch’s eyes met mine and I saw him mouth my name. His hand grabbed the door handle and pulled.

Nothing. The door didn’t budge. 

He tried again and again but the door didn’t even move the tiniest bit. 

_This was bad. Maybe I can break the glass and.._

Apparently, Lelouch was thinking the same thing as me. I saw him look around and he must have seen something because he took a step back and reached out for something. As he bent forward, I saw movement from his left.

_No. LELOUCH!_

I pounded on the door and screamed his name, hoping to get his attention before..

..the creature leaped onto Lelouch as he was turning towards me, his eyes widening in shock. In an instant, Lelouch was brought to the floor and all I saw were a bunch of tentacles whipping around in the air.

_No……Lelouch…_

_No no.. it can’t be.. Damn it you bastard!!_

My grief turned into rage and I pounded the door, hoping to draw the creature’s attention away although I knew it was probably too late.

Suddenly, the tentacles disappeared from my view. I stopped pounding. 

Something was getting up.

Not something.

Someone.

_Le.._


	4. Is This The End?

_Le..louch?_

_No, it can’t be. I just saw him being attacked by… Wait, what’s with his eyes?_

His eyes were vacant and had this strange symbol in the shape of a..bird? As I stared at Lelouch, or maybe the thing that looked like Lelouch, he lifted his arm slowly until it was level with his shoulder. His hand was outstretched and I stared in horror as he flicked a finger and the door was flung open with such force that it was ripped out of its hinges. 

“Lelouch?” I called, my voice catching in my throat.

There was no sign of recognition in his eyes. His outstretched fingers elongated and began morphing into the same tentacles that the creature possessed. His fingers or tentacles started coiling up, ready to lash out.

My instincts kicked in immediately and I started sprinting away from the building, just as the tentacles slammed into the wall behind where I was previously standing. 

I ran as fast as I could. I didn’t look back for I knew that the tentacles were right behind me. I tried to run in a serpentine manner, turning sharp corners, and basically did everything I could to shake off the tentacles but it was constantly on my tail. In fact, I could feel it gaining speed gradually. If I didn’t reach Shelter soon, it would definitely kill me. But I wasn’t going to go down without a fight. At the very least, I could find some kind of weapon in the middle of all this debris and hack away some of the tentacles... 

_..although I’m no match for it’s speed._

I rounded the corner and spotted the Shelter building. I felt a surge of hope through my body. 

_I might actually make it! Just need to jump over this pile of debris and…_

A shock wave from the result of the larger alpha creature slamming into a nearby building, hit me and sent my body flying a few feet. 

My back slammed into a remnant of a wall and my vision blurred. The pain was excruciating and I could barely move my legs. 

_What the - ? Shit, it hurts so much. Did the tentacles get hit?_

I looked around and caught sight of the tentacles barely a couple of meters away.

_Of course not. What did I expect?_

I grimaced in pain as I wondered whether this was the end for me.

The tentacles closed the distance within a matter of seconds.

I closed my eyes, awaiting the end.


	5. Aftermath

It took almost a full day for the chaos to die down and the rescue team that had been scrambled together was already pulling out the 48th victim. A total of 47 people were dead, at least 200 injured. Multiple buildings had been obliterated or partially destroyed. The aliens had only been there for 10 minutes but the amount of destruction was catastrophic. Milly let out her breath in a deep sigh. She wouldn’t be surprised if the company just decided to give up on this whole quest and head back home.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. “Yup, come in!” Milly said.

A tall orange-head girl with yellowish-green eyes entered the room, a look of concern and anxiety plain on her face. “Milly, I haven’t seen (F/N) around. Is she ok?”

Milly gave her a small smile. “(F/N)’s fine, Shirley. She’s injured – “

“She’s injured??” Shirley started.  
“Yes but it’s not serious. She should be fine after a few days.”

Shirley paused for a while. “I’d better go see her,” she stated.

“No, Shirley, she’s probably sleeping. I sent Rivalz to check up on her. Don’t worry, you’ll get to see her soon enough.”

“Oh ok then,” Shirley said reluctantly.

“Oh umm Milly, was…was everyone in..err Lab 9 alright?” Shirley asked, with a slight blush on her face.

Milly hesitated, unsure of how to answer her good friend’s question.

“You..didn’t know, Shirley? They were..”

* * *

(At the same time in (F/N)’s ward)

“WHAT?”  
“HE WAS WHAT??” I shouted at a stammering Rivalz.

“As I said, (F/N), he’s ok – “ Rivalz tried to interject.  
“How is being locked up in the Containment room ok??” I retorted.

“Well, Nina said he’s most probably contaminated and so, we need to make sure he’s properly sterilized and stuff,” Rivalz tried to pacify me.

I sat back down on my bed, trying to figure out what was happening. I saw the alien leaping onto Lelouch but he had gotten back up. And..

_No, I have to see him myself. I need to know whether it was really him._

I got up from my bed suddenly, shocking Rivalz who quickly blocked my way. “No, (F/N), I know what you’re thinking but you shouldn’t be leaving your bed. You should be rest- “

“Rivalz, move out of my way,” I sad slowly with a malicious undertone.

Rivalz visibly shuddered but refused to budge.

“Or would you rather I tell Milly about your love for her?” I said sinisterly.

“No!” Rivalz exclaimed. “Damn, you always do that, (F/N),” he said as he stepped aside.

“Thanks Rivalz,” I said as I hurried out the door, limping a little due to my injury.

As I reached the main door of the Containment room, I caught sight of Shirley running towards me. “(F/N)!! What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be in bed?” she called out to me.

“Same reason as you,” I said curtly and promptly flung the door open. 

The company’s head scientist Nina was in the middle of a discussion with a couple of other scientists. She turned towards us, giving a slight nod for us to enter the room.

“Dr. Nina, I – “ I began.  
“(F/N), I wanted to talk to you about your experience but seeing as you were in bed, I thought it best not to question you at that time. Seeing that you came here voluntarily, I’ll take this opportunity to ask you now then,” Dr. Nina interrupted.

My eyes narrowed. I really wanted to confirm what had happened but there was no way I could disobey Nina. “Yes, Dr. Nina,” I replied.

“Right. So, you witnessed what happened to the scientist Lelouch Lamperouge in Lab 9 right?”  
“Yes.”  
“Can you please explain in detail what you saw and heard?”

I took a deep breath. 

I began my story with how I saw Lelouch running down the stairs and continued up till the point where the tentacles were chasing me, without missing any detail. Nina, Shirley, and the rest of the people were listening to me intently.

“… and then I saw the tentacles closing in on me until it was barely an inch away from my face. I thought there was no way I would survive but..” I paused, replaying the events in my mind.

“Then what, (F/N)?” Dr. Nina’s voice snapped me back to reality.

“It just…. stopped.”


	6. Draw First Blood

After listening to my account of what happened, Dr. Nina assigned me to the team that watched Lelouch 24/7 but she forbid any contact with the “hybrids” – the term associated to any human being that had been infected with a foreign body. Apparently, Lelouch wasn’t the only one that had been infected. We had a total of four hybrids – Lelouch, Suzaku, Gino, and Cornelia. All of them were being kept in the Containment building in separate rooms.

I twirled my pen idly while staring at the feed from the security camera. Lelouch was sitting on a chair, wearing a tired and dejected expression. Occasionally, he stared at his hands as if it were some foreign object. I wondered whether he recalled anything from when he was infected. 

Thinking back to how those tentacles had abruptly stopped, I couldn’t help but harbor the hope that it must have been Lelouch who had saved me from.. well, himself.

_It must be, right…_

* * *

I woke up with a start.

_Shoot, I fell asleep._

I glanced at the screen in front of me. Lelouch was sleeping soundly. 

I turned to the screen behind me. No communication signal from him either.

A knock on the door resounded through the room. One of the scientists got up and opened the door, revealing one of the waiters.

“I got breakfast for you guys and the hybrids,” he said. The room bustled as everyone got up to take their share. Lloyd, the chief scientist, ushered the waiter to the door leading to Lelouch’s room. While I ate my breakfast, I watched as the door to Lelouch’s room was unlocked.

Suddenly, all the screens in the room flickered and all the cameras’ feed went static.

“What’s happening?” called out one of the scientists.   
The technician tried pinging the connection.  
“Not a technical issue!” the technician replied.

I glanced back at my screen and my eyes widened as I saw an erratic communication signal. 

“No, it can’t be,” I gasped softly.

“What? What can’t be?” another scientist asked, tension in his voice.

At the same time, a piercing shriek was heard and the sound of the door slamming. I ran out the door and saw Lloyd fumbling with the digits on the door keypad. I swiftly pushed him away and entered the passcode to lock the door. As I turned to Lloyd, I realized that my shoes were getting moist. I looked down and saw blood seeping through the door. I quickly backed away from the door, horrified by the sight. 

“Lloyd, what … exactly … happened?” I asked, my voice shaking.

I turned to look at him and his ashen face said everything I needed to know.


	7. Killing Instinct

Soon, there was a frenzy of activity in the Containment building. Backup was called and dozens of guard stood outside each room containing a hybrid. Meanwhile, within our control room, we were desperately trying to get the feed back up. I was frantically trying to interrupt the communication signal but all attempts had failed. 

After about 10 minutes of futile action, the feed was suddenly restored. We stared at the screen in horror. The waiter, or rather what was left of him, was scattered all over the floor and walls. A scientist gagged, another ran out to throw up. I had seen blood and dead bodies before, but nothing had prepared me for this.

My eyes wandered to Lelouch. He had just woken up and was rubbing his eyes in a daze. He looked around and catching sight of the bloody mess, did a double take and scrambled off the bed towards the opposite wall.

“Is anyone there??? What …. what’s happening???” Lelouch stammered in fear.

Dr. Nina who was watching the whole scene unfold, nodded to the guards. One of them slowly opened the door, while a few other guards slowly entered the room, all with their guns trained on Lelouch. Dr. Nina stood at the door entrance behind the guards and called out to him.

“Lelouch, do you have any recollection of what happened?”

“No… I.. woke up and saw… this,” Lelouch replied in confusion.

“Dr. Lloyd tells me that you killed the waiter that came to bring you breakfast,” Dr. Nina said evenly.

“Or rather, your tentacles killed him. This is not the first time though. Your tentacles assaulted (F/N) as well,” she continued.

The shock on Lelouch’s face was apparent. His eyes darted to the remnants of the waiter and back to his hands.

“Looks like you don’t know anything. We’ll be keeping an eye on you but I want you to try and remember all that has happened. I’ll send someone to clean this up,” Dr. Nina gestured to the gore around the room.

After Dr. Nina exited the room, she called all the scientists for an urgent meeting, leaving me in the room to monitor Lelouch. I stared at the image of Lelouch, wishing I could at least talk to him. Lelouch was sitting on the bed, deep in thought. A few hours passed by with nothing happening. 

Finally, the door opened, and Lloyd called out to me, “(F/N), we’re relieving you. You can go for a lunch break.”

* * *

(At the cafeteria)

“(F/N), what was the big hoo-ha about today?” Milly asked.  
“I would prefer not to talk about it when I’m eating,” I replied, mouth full of food.  
“I heard that apparently, Lelouch killed someone,” Rivalz interrupted.

I almost choked on my food. “How do you know that?” I asked Rivalz while coughing.

Rivalz shrugged, “My intelligence network?”  
“You mean your busybody rumor network,” Shirley retorted.  
“Is it true, (F/N)?” she turned to me.

All eyes were on me.   
“Yes,” I said quietly.

“But.. how can it be? Lulu wouldn’t… “ Shirley mumbled.

“I think he’s not in control of his own body. So.. technically, he didn’t kill anyone, the thing inside him did. At least… that’s what I choose to believe,” I replied.

“How is Lulu’s condition now?”  
“He’s – “  
“Maybe I should cook up something nice and bring it to him.”

“Shirley, would you please listen to me?? Damn it, don’t try to fish for attention,” I replied, irritated with her usual antics.  
“Hey, I’m not the one who’s in the Containment room watching him 24/7,” she retorted.  
“Yeah and even being in that room doesn’t mean I get to have any contact with him. He’s still considered a hazard and we don’t know when he might lose control. So don’t go putting yourself in danger and causing trouble for me,” I countered, taking another spoonful of food.  
“How can you still be eating when Lulu’s suffering in there??” Shirley exclaimed.  
“Because I’m not helping him by not eating. I need my strength to figure things out. Unlike you who gets too emotional. Eat your damn food! I don’t want another person to take care of on my hands,” I replied.

“Stop it guys! We all know (F/N)’s just concerned about you, Shirley,” Milly tried to appease the two of us.

Shirley huffed and I rolled my eyes.

“Seriously, sometimes you guys are just too cute,” Milly giggled.  
“Yeah, if people didn’t know, they would think you two are dating,” added Rivalz.

“SHUT UP!!” Shirley and I shouted at the same time.

“You see!!” Milly and Rivalz burst out laughing.

I sighed. “Anyway, I need to get back. See you guys later!” I got up with my tray.

“Oh (F/N), I almost forgot. Here,” Shirley tossed me a bottle of iced coffee.  
“Thanks, Shirley.”

The sound of Milly and Rivalz’s laughter floated towards me as I exited the cafeteria. I smiled slightly.

_First normal thing in this crazy day, huh._

* * *

As the day closed to an end, Dr. Nina entered the control room with a few guards and a cage filled with rats. 

“Dr. Lloyd, let’s go,” she motioned to Lloyd.  
“(F/N), I need you to keep your eyes on the communication channel. Try and decode whatever signal you get.”

“Wait, Dr. Nina. What’s happening?” I stopped her, puzzled by the sudden events.

She paused for a moment. “We’re testing my theory that Lelouch’s tentacles only appear when he’s asleep or unconscious. Once we unlock the door, keep your eyes peeled.”

Dr. Nina strode out of the room, leaving me no chance to ask any further questions. I turned to my screen, watching the now-asleep Lelouch. 

_Lelouch, what in the world is happening?_


	8. Volunteering To Die

With shaking hands, Lloyd entered the passcode to unlock the door. As soon as the door opened wide enough, the guard holding the cage of rats shoved the cage through and closed the door. We waited with bated breath. In a split second, the feed went static and I saw the same communication signal spike. Immediately, everyone got to work. I tried my old ciphers and signal interrupters or distorters but nothing worked.

_As I expected. Their communication is way more advanced and secure than anything that we’ve come across._

We worked non-stop till dawn but no progress was made. My desk was strewn with papers and my eyes were blurry but still, I hacked away at the keys of my computer. This time, I had saved the communication signal to disk so I could work on it even after Lelouch’s… episodes. Suddenly, the feed came back on and all of us turned to the screen. As expected, Lelouch was just getting up.

Dr. Nina signaled to one of the guards and the door to his room was opened slowly. Lelouch took in the sight of the blood and when he saw Dr. Nina standing outside, his face contorted into anger.

“What’s the meaning of this, Dr. Nina?” he questioned.  
“Your tentacles only appear when you’re asleep, Lelouch. That’s the result of this… experiment,” Dr. Nina replied.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get someone to clean it up,” she continued as she walked over to the control room.

As soon as Dr. Nina entered the room, she started beaming with pleasure. “Well, now we know that my theory is correct. We just need someone to actually document what’s happening in the night since we can’t get any feed or decode the signal.”

“But… who are we going to send?” Lloyd asked, a little nervous.  
“Hmm, I dunno. Someone unimportant. Maybe one of the office boys, Arthur, Rivalz, or someone like that,” Dr. Nina said flippantly.

I couldn’t believe it. Was she just going to send someone off to die?

“But Dr. Nina, that person will die,” another scientist voiced my concern.  
Dr. Nina laughed contemptuously. “An unimportant life is worth it to further advance science. And you consider yourself a scientist?”

I gritted my teeth in anger. How could she just dispense of someone especially when that someone was likely to be my best friend? Still, I knew it was wise not to disobey her. She had absolute authority here and going against her was akin to being fired. And me being fired wasn’t going to help anyone. Then, it hit me.

“Dr. Nina, send me in,” I said boldly.  
“Huh… you, (F/N)? Why? We can’t really afford to lose our best communications specialist,” Dr. Nina queried.  
“Yes, but documenting what’s happening is more important, right? Besides, I’m the only one who hasn’t died after being targeted by Lelouch’s tentacles,” I reasoned.

After giving it some thought, Dr. Nina nodded. “Alright. You’ll enter Lelouch’s room an hour before he sleeps. Document every single thing that’s happening. We’ll provide you a computer as well.”

“Thank you, Dr. Nina,” I replied.

* * *

(At the cafeteria)

“YOU WHAT??!!” my friends exclaimed at the same time.  
I sighed. I should have known better than to underestimate the extent of Rivalz’s social network.

“Nothing will happen. There’s no need to panic,” I tried to ease their worry.  
“Are you kidding me, (F/N)? Those tentacles have killed twice in a row!” Milly exclaimed.  
“But it didn’t kill me that time,” I pointed out.  
“Why can’t we just tell Dr. Nina not to send anyone in?” Shirley asked.  
“There’s no fighting with her and if I don’t go, it’ll just be someone else,” I explained.  
“Then just let it be someone else!” Rivalz added.

I looked at him, his expression full of worry. I didn’t want him to know that his name was on the list of “unimportant people” that Dr. Nina had intended to send in to their death.

“Just trust me, ok? I’ll definitely see you guys tomorrow,” I said firmly and left the cafeteria.

* * *

(Later that evening)

“(F/N), are you ready?”  
“Yeah, Lloyd.” I was about to open the door to Lelouch’s room when I hesitated. If I was going to die tonight, I might as well get the answer to one of the many puzzles I liked to play in my head.

“Hey, Lloyd, the only reason why you were nervous about Dr. Nina choosing a person to go in… is because you were afraid that Cecile might get chosen, right?” I cocked my head towards him.

“Huh… no… I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Lloyd tried to laugh it off but I caught the slight blush on his face. I had my answer.  
“Yeah right,” I smirked.   
“Well, in you go,” Lloyd motioned to the door.

I took a deep breath and entered Lelouch’s room.


	9. Side Channel

Lelouch looked up. “(F/N)? What are you doing here?”  
I cracked a smile, “Observing you.”  
“You mean… you’re going to be here throughout the night?”  
“Yup, whether you like it or not.”  
“Are you crazy?? I might kill you!”   
“Well… last time, you could have but didn’t. So – “  
“That doesn’t mean it will happen again! I don’t have control over this,” Lelouch gestured to his hands.

I sighed. “I don’t really have much of a choice, Lelouch. Dr. Nina was going to send someone in here anyway.”

“But why of all people, you?? I mean, if it was someone else – “ he stopped halfway.

I frowned, wondering what was the meaning behind his words.

“Wait, Dr. Nina was going to put a person in here?” he asked me.  
“Yeah,” I replied.

He contemplated something before clearing his throat, “(F/N), aren’t you supposed to be documenting this on your laptop anyway?”

“Err… yeah..” I opened my laptop, puzzled by the sudden change of topic. While I typed in my password, I saw him mouth the words, “Get. On. The. Bed.”

Although I found his actions extremely odd, I did as I was told, scurrying in beside him on the bed. “Feeling a bit cold huh (F/N),” Lelouch said out loud while pulling the covers over both of us. Before I could reply, his hand reached over and typed something on my laptop. 

**Mic.**

I stared at the word for a second before I realized what was happening. “Yeah, it’s pretty cold. Sorry, Lelouch, looks like you have to share the bed. Don’t mind me while I type up my report,” I said.

I started typing, **What is it that you do not want people to hear?**  
Lelouch looked over and typed with his spare hand.

**I don’t trust Nina.**  
 **Why?** , I typed.  
 **Don’t you find it odd? Protocol says anyone who’s infected by a foreign body should be exterminated as soon as possible. Besides, all these experiments are designed to learn about this new thing I’ve gained. I suspect she wants to control this power, rather than remove the foreign body from me. Finally, isn’t it strange that there were no guards around on the day of the attack?**

I thought for a moment. I had been too preoccupied with Lelouch’s condition that I had overlooked the weird circumstances surrounding the entire incident. There was definitely something going on.

**So do you have any theories about why this is happening?** I typed.  
 **No. But could you try to find out more about the day of the attack?**  
 **Yeah, I can. If I survive tonight.**

Lelouch looked at me sadly before typing, **I’m sorry that it had to be you, (F/N).**  
 **Could you try to control your tentacles like the last time?** , I replied.  
 **I’m not too sure how it works either.**  
 **Ok, pardon me for asking this especially since this is not the right time. But it is probably my last day of my life. So… why is it that I feel that you’re particularly anxious and sad that I’m the one here? And not anyone else. ******

Lelouch hesitated for a while.  
 **I don’t know. Maybe because I feel a connection with you or maybe because you’re almost as smart as me.**  
His words made my heart skip a beat. Even though I was probably going to die, I couldn’t help but think that my volunteering to be here was a blessing in disguise.  
 **Wow, that’s a big compliment coming from one of the best scientists.** I replied.  
 **Well, you did figure out what I meant quite quickly from just a single word that I typed.  
Yeah, that’s true. Plus you used the short form of “microphone”. That wasn’t easy to get.  
Sorry. I needed to type something fast.  
That’s ok. I know why you did that. And Lelouch, I might actually feel a connection with you too.**

We looked at each other and smiled sadly.

“(F/N), I’m getting drowsy. I don’t want to sleep – “  
“No, it’s ok. Just sleep, Lelouch. It’ll work out,” I smiled even though my insides were already churning with anxiety.

Lelouch gripped my hand in response. I interlaced our fingers and held his hand tight, willing his human part to control the foreign body residing in him.

Slowly, Lelouch’s eyes closed.


	10. Reaching Equilibrium

My heart pounded in my chest as I watched Lelouch slip into slumber. Sweat glistened on my forehead and my entire body was covered in goosebumps. The unnatural silence in the room only served to amplify my senses. I could already imagine the tentacles piercing my skin and ripping my body apart. I trembled at the thought of it. I glanced at Lelouch’s hand which was still intertwined with mine. Nothing seemed different about it. Yet. 

Soon, Lelouch’s breathing became steady as he entered deep sleep. I braced myself for the inevitable, hands ready to type my last few words.

_That is, IF I had the time to type._

Suddenly, I felt a cold tingling sensation on my arm. I carefully scrutinized Lelouch but I didn’t see any visible signs of morphing. Then, the tingling sensation slowly made its way up my arm and onto my shoulder. I dared not budge, afraid that any movement would cause the thing to be more aggressive. I waited for what seemed like an eternity until it finally settled at the back of my neck, directly on top of my spinal cord.

Then, everything went pitch black.

I found myself surrounded by darkness. It wasn’t the usual kind of darkness when people closed their eyes, it was… different. I could *sense* things. I felt my own consciousness surrounding me and I also felt the presence of another. 

_Was that… Lelouch?_

The other consciousness was human. But when I looked deeper, I realized that there was a swarm of matter colliding with it, as if they were battling each other. Then, my own consciousness diffused and spread towards the other consciousness. Together, the two human consciousness developed a synergy and reached an equilibrium with the swarm of matter. 

I watched in awe and soon, I too was overcome with drowsiness…

* * *

**Lelouch’s POV:**

I opened my eyes slowly. The first thing I saw was (F/N) slumped over her laptop. The sight of it struck terror in my heart. Then, I realized that her chest was moving up and her down in time with her breathing. Relief swept through me knowing that I had not killed her. 

Yesterday night, I had had the most peaceful sleep in the past two days that I had been locked up. The first two nights felt like a war was waged inside of me, between the foreign body and my immune system. Last night, there was an additional presence that helped to balance the turmoil and I’m guessing that was also the reason why my tentacles had not appeared. Now that I thought about it, could it be that the extra help had come from… (F/N)? I looked at her and saw that she too was waking up. When she turned my way, we shared a small smile. She was about to speak when the door opened…

**Reader’s POV:**

I wanted to ask Lelouch about what I felt last night but the door opened before I had a chance to speak. Dr. Nina appeared in the doorway with a few guards around her. I glanced sideways at Lelouch and he nodded imperceptibly. We understood each other immediately. 

We would both give an accurate account of our experience. Lying would do us no good. Telling the truth served three purposes. One, it would keep Lelouch alive because now we could control his transformation. Two, we needed the resources to help understand more about the foreign body residing in Lelouch. And finally, it would give me the perfect excuse to be in constant contact with him and thus, establish some form of secret communication to relay information.

“Well well, congratulations (F/N)! You haven’t died. Now, I would like the both of you to give me a detailed account of what happened last night,” said Dr. Nina.

After Lelouch and I had recapped the events of the previous night, Dr. Nina stood in contemplative silence. “Guess it should be ok to collect samples now,” she muttered to herself. I saw Lelouch’s eyes narrow slightly at Dr. Nina’s words. She did seem more suspicious by the second. Finally, she said, “Alright, we need some samples from the both of you. Obviously (F/N) is connected to you in some way, Lelouch. We just need to find out how and why. Lelouch, we’ll get the sample from you in this room. (F/N), write up a report about last night and we’ll get the sample from you later.”

I nodded and walked to the door. Before I left, I turned to Lelouch. “See you later tonight.” 

“See you, (F/N),” Lelouch smiled conspiratorially.

* * *

(At the cafeteria)

As soon as I stepped into the cafeteria, I was smothered by Milly and Shirley who hugged me so tightly that I was likely to die at their hands. 

“(F/N)!! I’m so glad you’re alright,” Shirley wailed.  
“Yes yes, I’m fine, Shirley,” I patted the bawling girl.  
“But (F/N), that was really a huge risk. What happened last night?” Milly asked.

I recounted the events once again but left out the part where Lelouch had told me his doubts about Dr. Nina. I didn’t want them to get embroiled in any dangerous schemes.

“Where’s Rivalz though?” I enquired.  
“Oh he should be here any minute,” Milly replied. “Ah, speak of the devil.”

“(F/N)!!!” Rivalz wrapped me in an embrace. “Oh thank God you’re ok.”  
“Yeah, I’m fine. I thought you should have heard about it by now.”  
“I did but I just wanted to confirm it with my own eyes.”  
“By the way, Rivalz, I wanted to ask you something. What exactly happened with the hybrids after they got infected?”  
“Hmm? Err well, from what I heard, some of the guards tried to shoot them but they got killed by the hybrids. Then, Dr. Nina ordered Luciano and his Valkyrie gang to shoot the hybrids with those sedatives that they’ve been developing. But why do you ask?”  
“Oh I was just curious as to how they caught the hybrids in the first place,” I replied.

It seemed like Lelouch’s conjecture about Dr. Nina was correct. But something still didn’t make a lot of sense.

“But there weren’t any guards around during the initial part of the attack right? Where did they come from?” I asked Rivalz.  
“Well, that I don’t know. I don’t have any contact people among the guards,” he replied, a bit puzzled as to my question.  
“Ahh, it doesn’t matter anyway. You’re ok and we’re all together. That’s all that matters,” Milly interjected.  
“Yeah you’re right Milly,” I said, diverting the topic to avoid further suspicion.

Conversation continued as usual but my mind was elsewhere. I had to find out more information about Dr. Nina and there was one way to go about doing that.

_It’s time to put my skills to use._


	11. Cellular Composition

After lunch, my blood and cell samples were taken and Dr. Nina, Lloyd and a few other scientists left the control room to perform some analyses on the samples. The control room was now minimally staffed with only two other scientists and me. It was time to execute my plan.

“Oh shit… my stomach hurts like hell,” I groaned as I clutched my stomach.  
“Are you having the runs?” one of the scientists asked.  
“I’m not sure… it might be cramps or…” I feigned pain again.  
“I think you’d better take some medicine.”  
“Yeaah. I’m going to my office. Be back later,” I said as I stepped out of the control room.

Now was the difficult part. I had about a 10-minute window before people became suspicious and started looking for me. I hurried to my office, opened the bottom drawer where I kept my stash of devices. I took out a black box, thumb drive, and some bobby pins and slipped it under my coat. 

Rushing through the corridors, I glanced at my watch. 5 more minutes. As I neared Dr. Nina’s office, I thumbed the button on the black box causing it to send a signal to jam the video cameras. With no time to spare, I picked the lock to Dr. Nina’s office and got it open in under 8 seconds. 

_Damn, I’m getting slow._

I closed the door behind me and hurried over to Dr. Nina’s desktop. My fingers raced over the keyboard with a sense of urgency.

_Biometric identification._

I blowed gently onto the fingerprint sensor such that the steam from my breath sticked to everything but the oil from the last thumb print.

_Beep, Identity Confirmed._

I was in. I stuck my thumb drive into the machine and initiated full disk copying. This was going to take a while. Meanwhile, I looked around Dr. Nina’s cluttered desk. With my ears peeled out for any sounds coming from outside, I leafed through the papers on her desk and in the drawers. There didn’t seem to be anything interesting to find. I looked back at the screen to check the progress. It was done copying, and was now erasing all the evidence of its activity. 

_Copying finished._

I removed the thumb drive and quickly made my way out of Dr. Nina’s office, jamming the video cameras once again before I stepped out. Along the corridors, I randomly jammed some other video cameras to make it look like a technical issue rather than a targeted jamming. Once I was back in my office, I stowed the black box and bobby pins away. 

1 minute left. I rushed to the washroom, splashing my face with water and messing my hair a little. Finally, I headed back to the control room.

“Where have you been?” one of the scientists asked.  
“Washroom.”  
Seeing my haggard look, the scientist disregarded my long absence as being stuck in the loo doing my business.

I sat back down at my desk, resuming my work. From time to time, I would finger the thumb drive in my coat, wondering what secrets it might hold. I couldn’t wait to explore its contents later tonight.

* * *

This time, Dr. Nina and Lloyd accompanied me to Lelouch’s room. They were both brimming with excitement and wore a maniacal look on their faces. Hopefully, it meant that they had figured out something crucial about Lelouch’s transformations.

“So Lelouch, (F/N), we believe we’ve figured out the key behind last night’s events. Lloyd, I’ll give you the honor of explaining what we found,” Dr. Nina said proudly.

“Well, we took a close look at the samples from both Lelouch and (F/N). And it was fascinating! We found alien blood and brain plasma in Lelouch’s samples as expected. But we also discovered another set of foreign cells that we’ve performed matching with (F/N)’s samples and the similarity is above 98%. By removing (F/N)’s cells, the remaining human and alien cells began moving vigorously and collided with each other causing the human cells to rupture slowly. So, we have reason to believe that (F/N)’s cells are the stabilizing factor in Lelouch’s transformation,” Lloyd explained.

He continued, “However, putting another human’s cells into the mixture does not have the same equilibrium effect. Comparing (F/N)’s cells to Lelouch’s cells, we found that there was 95% similarity in terms of the Klishak coefficient.”

“Wait, wait. What’s the Klishak coefficient?” I asked, confused about the terminology.  
“In lay man terms, it means that your consciousness or to put it in simpler terms, your underlying personality, is 95% similar in structure to Lelouch’s,” Lloyd explained.  
“Ohh. That’s…. interesting,” I muttered.

“Right, there was also a 99% similarity in terms of the Alstred metric,” Lloyd snickered.  
“What’s – “ I began.  
“Which means affinity, (F/N),” Lloyd finished with a smirk.

I was silent, unsure of how to respond to that. I didn’t believe in calculating compatibility between two people but I had no idea that the genetic community had come up with a scientific way of doing so. I should really check that out.

“So did you try removing the alien cells out of my samples?” Lelouch interrupted.  
“Yeaah, actually we did. But removing it caused a small explosion in the lab. Even if we had not removed it, some of the other samples self-destructed. My conjecture is the alien cells require a live, locomotive host to survive.”  
“What would happen if you completely removed all the alien cells from me?” Lelouch continued.  
“Based on the scale of the samples we extracted from you, I would believe the explosion caused by all the removed cells would be equivalent to a nuclear explosion.”

“Ok, that’s enough. Now we must get going. We have more tests to run. The two of you should try to figure out more about this connection between you guys,” Dr. Nina ended the discussion.

When the door closed, I crawled into the bed beside Lelouch who was deep in thought. I opened my laptop, and plugged in my thumb drive in one swift movement.

“Now, Lelouch, we have work to do,” I grinned.


	12. The First Crumb

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The **bolded** sentences are what Reader-chan is typing into her laptop for Lelouch to see whereas the **_bolded and italicized_** sentences are what Lelouch writes on the paper for Reader-chan to see.

Lelouch frowned, puzzled at my enthusiasm. When I opened up the contents of my thumb drive, his eyes widened in surprise. Before he could say anything, I slipped a pen and piece of paper over on the bed. Lelouch shook his head slightly and in response, I typed on my laptop.

**No, it’s not the isotoped paper. This is plain paper.**

Isotoped papers were used by our company so that it could be tracked down easily even if God forbid, it fell into the wrong hands. It was mandated that all papers in the office were isotoped with some chemicals and a microchip that contained a GPS system. But I was never one to follow rules, so I had smuggled some plain paper with me along with other… tools that I felt might come in handy. And boy, did they come in handy now.

“So should we talk more about that experience we had last night?” Lelouch asked as he started writing on the paper.

“Sure.” I replied, glancing at what he wrote.

**_Is that from Dr. Nina’s computer?_ **

**Yep.**

**_I’m impressed. How did you get it?_ **

**Methods that aren’t exactly… legal.**

“I guess I’ll start first. I felt like there was an extension of my body that was searching for something. I believe that must have been the sensation you felt, (F/N).”

_Nothing in this folder either. Maybe I should search for hidden files._

“Hmm right. So your immune system was searching for a stabilizer?”

“Yeah. And after it connected with you, I felt like the sickness I had was cured.”

**Ah, I got something, Lelouch.**

“Are you writing this down, (F/N)?” Lelouch looked over at my screen.

“Yeah,” I replied while enlarging the font of the document that I had open.

I continued, “So maybe we can prevent the other hybrids’ transformations in the same way.”

“Wait, there are other… hybrids?” Lelouch stared at the document that listed the names of all the hybrids and their information.

I slapped my forehead, “Oh sorry, I totally forgot that you didn’t know. There are three others: Suzaku, Cornelia and Gino.”

“So he didn’t die,” Lelouch said quietly.

“Suzaku seems to be doing fine at the moment, so I heard. The others are ok too.”

Lelouch took a while to process the new information and I couldn’t tell whether he was happy to hear that his best friend was alive or worried that his friend was also stuck in the same predicament. I continued searching for information but everything I found so far pertained to *normal* stuff. Nothing out of the ordinary or remotely suspicious. Next, I checked her emails.

“Anyway, back to the original topic. Were you… feeling any different after lunch?” Lelouch broke the silence.

I hesitated for a second but regained my wits. “Yeah, I was feeling a bit sick. Stomach issues.”

**Actually, I was in the midst of breaking into Dr. Nina’s office.**

**_I think I felt your surge of adrenaline then._ **

“Ah, I guess I can detect when your body has issues then,” Lelouch replied out loud.

“So does that mean this umm.. link… between us is sort of perma- “ 

“We don’t know anything about this link. It could just be due to proximity,” Lelouch quickly cut me off.

**_Don’t give them an excuse to separate us._ **

**Sorry.  
But is it permanent then?**

**_I think so. I could feel it at the same level of intensity for roughly 10 minutes. So shouldn’t be anything to do with proximity._ **

**Yeah, that was roughly the time it took me to get the information.  
Oh, I found something!**

I highlighted the portion of the email that had caught my attention. It was a deleted draft email from Dr. Nina.

_Tomorrow is D-Day._

The email was sent a day before the alien attack. Now, we had evidence that substantiated our doubts, but it wasn’t concrete enough if we were to present it in a trial. Still, it was something. We looked at each other and grinned triumphantly.

Without missing a beat, Lelouch continued our “fake” conversation for all to hear, “So what did you think of what Lloyd said? You know, about why it had to be your blood?”

“Huh? Oh umm..” _Was he teasing me?_

“You know, about our personalities being the same and such? To be honest, I think that’s why I felt a mental connection with you. You seemed to have the same way of thinking and ideals as me,” Lelouch continued.

_Oh, right. That. What was I thinking? He REALLY is dense. If he couldn’t sense Shirley’s feelings towards him, how would he know mine? Well, at least he has *some* kind of connection with me even though it wasn’t of the type I was hoping for._

“Hmm, I don’t know. But what makes you say that I have the same ideals though?” I asked.

“You’re willing to go to great lengths for the people you care about… although you do so rationally. I know… people… that act more rashly on the same premise.”

“Ah, Suzaku you mean,” I laughed.

“Right, that guy,” Lelouch gave a small laugh.

“Yeah, Shirley is the same way as well,” I snorted.

“Hmm that’s true. Maybe the two of them should get together huh,” Lelouch replied.

_Oh God, Lelouch. Take a hint already. Shirley’s into you, you idiot! Although I’m not going to tell you that. I would be stupid to give my love rival a head start, even if she’s my friend._

“So, why do you say that I would go to great lengths? Almost everyone here thinks I’m one cruel, sadistic bitch,” I smirked.

Lelouch studied me closely before answering, “Because you volunteered yourself to come in here instead of one of your friends.”

I was slightly taken aback. “How did you know that?”

“You told me you didn’t have a choice, that it would have been somebody else.”

**_Who was supposed to be in here with me?_ **

**Could have been Rivalz.  
Oh right, I almost forgot. Here.**

I slipped a folded piece of paper to Lelouch. It was the information I had gleaned from Rivalz about the day of the attack.

“But you know, volunteering myself was a calculated decision. I just took a bet that you wouldn’t kill me,” I replied.

“If that’s how you want to put it,” Lelouch shrugged as he read the note.

**_I know one of the guards, Kallen Kozuki. Tell her about our doubts._ **

**Can she be trusted?**

**_Yes._ **

**But how do I contact her without looking suspicious? And she doesn’t exactly like me.**

**_I trust you to figure that out. If we’re so similar in thinking, you should be able to pull it off._ **

**Nice way to motivate people. I’ll think of something.**

“I’m feeling sleepy now. Good night, Lelouch,” I replied, my voice dripping with sarcasm.  
“(F/N), are you mad?” Lelouch asked, puzzled at my change in tone.  
“No no, why would I be?” I fake laughed.

Unable to get a proper answer out of me, Lelouch sighed and replied, “Good night, (F/N).”

_Kallen Kozuki, huh. You sure know a lot of girls, Lelouch. Now how do I get in touch with her?_


	13. Recruitment

My entire morning was spent drawing out plans as to how I was going to approach Kallen. I had already realized that I would need her help for yet another thing: getting into Dr. Nina’s private quarters. If there was no evidence on her work computer, there had to be something in her living space. 

_But how do I get Kallen? I can’t just walk up to her and start talking. That would invite a lot of questions. There’s nothing between us that I could use as an excuse._

I rubbed my head in frustration. 

“Lunch break, (F/N)!”

_Oh well, time to recharge my brain._

* * *

“WHAT?? You and Lelouch have some affinity??” Shirley practically screamed, catching the attention of some people nearby.  
“For God’s sake, quieten down, Shirley. It’s just some biological metric,” I snapped, exasperated with her antics.  
“(F/N), you seem… troubled. Anything the matter?” Milly asked, concerned about my sharp retorts.

I wasn’t in the mood for small banter though, what with the bigger issues I had to tackle.  
“Are you a psychologist now, Milly? And where the hell is Rivalz?” I shot back.  
Milly looked downcast, hurt by my retorts but she answered, “He’s being questioned by Nina.”  
“Wait, why?” I asked, my guard now up.  
“I have no idea.”

Shirley continued, “You see, (F/N), your problem is this attitude. You’re lucky you have us as friends but other people don’t view you the same way, especially given your criminal record – “

Milly looked at her in shock and tried to shush her but Shirley refused to listen.  
“I have no idea why Lloyd would say that you and Lelouch are similar,” she huffed.

I kept quiet, not showing any reaction to Shirley’s comments. But deep inside, I was hurt by her words. The walls that I built around me and the distance that I purposely put between myself and others were my self-defense mechanisms. I had relied on it to survive for too long, so much so that it was now difficult to change.

The awkward silence at the table was suddenly disturbed by Rivalz’s appearance.   
“Hey guys, I have big news!”  
“What is it, Rivalz?” Milly asked, glad for an interruption in the tense atmosphere.  
“So Nina called me up and a couple of my other friends. And she asked all of us the same questions. Guess what she asked?” he said, basking in the attention that we were giving him.  
“Out with it, Rivalz,” I said, irritated that he was taking this matter too lightly.

“Alright alright. Calm down already, (F/N). I just wanted to add some suspense. She asked us to name all the people that we thought were the hybrid’s significant other.”  
“Huh what – “ Shirley began.  
“So who did you guys name?” I interrupted.

“Well, it was obvious. Cornelia’s husband, Gilbert Guilford, who’s her assistant. Suzaku’s girlfriend although he claims they aren’t dating, Euphemia Britannia. And Gino’s girlfriend although SHE claims there’s nothing between them, Kallen Kozuki.”

At the mention of Kallen’s name, a tiny smirk emerged on my face. 

_That’s my connection._

* * *

(4 hours later)

“So I’ve called all of you here because we have reason to believe that you guys are the **controllers** – the ones who stabilize the alien blood in the hybrids. Obviously there’s still one missing but we will get her here soon,” Dr. Nina briefed us in one of the small conference rooms.

I looked at the two people beside me – Gilbert was sitting like a soldier at attention, his eyes focused on Nina, Kallen on the other hand had her legs crossed and one arm dangling over the chair. Judging by their behavior and the little I knew about them, it would seem that Kallen would indeed be the easier to convince.

“… and so, you guys will be playing a very important role from now on.”  
I turned my attention back to Dr. Nina who had just finished briefing the other two about how they were deduced to be the controllers.  
“Tomorrow onwards, you guys will be put together with your respective hybrid and the two of you will learn how to control the hybrid’s power – “

“I’m sorry, Dr. Nina, but why are we controlling the hybrid’s power instead of removing the alien part?” Gilbert ventured a question.  
“Because, Gilbert,… we can’t. We are not able to at the moment,” Dr. Nina replied, a little irritated at the interruption.

“Now, where was I? Ah, right. So, report to the Containment building tomorrow at 8am sharp and we’ll commence the training. And of course, you two, ” she motioned to Gilbert and Kallen, “will be staying with your respective hybrids during the night. You guys need to establish the link. Alright, dismissed.”

Dr. Nina walked out of the conference room immediately, having a lot of matters to attend to. The three of us stood up to leave as well but before Kallen made it to the door, I draped my hand around her as if we were best buddies.

“So...Kallen... I didn’t know you and Gino were that.. close. Well, I hope you don’t die tonight,” I mocked.

Kallen was about to launch into an offensive tirade when she felt my hand slip a piece of paper into her pocket. Narrowing her eyes at me, she retorted, “Well, we’ll find out tomorrow morning, won’t we?”

“Hmph, fine. Hope to see you tomorrow then,” I winked as I left a puzzled Kallen.

* * *

(Meanwhile on planet Earth)

A towering man that exuded a formidable and intimidating air stood at the large window pane of his office, looking out into the night sky. He was shrouded in darkness, with only his figure illuminated by the light of the moon.

“I see it’s going splendidly,” he said over the phone.

“…”

“How convenient. I’ll send Euphy over right away.”

He ended the call and glanced up at the moon which was slowly being smothered by the clouds, its light now enveloped by darkness. With one final glance outside, he turned back to his desk and let out a slow, deep, sinister laugh.


	14. Training

“Whenever you’re ready, guys.”

I nodded to the scientists above and turned to Lelouch. He was incredibly poised but his eyes and the slight downturn of his mouth betrayed his underlying anxiety. I couldn’t blame him. 

We were situated in the Security and Maintenance facility where they housed the weaponry, training facilities, and other heavy-weight equipment. This room we were in was one of the training rooms and there were ten meat dummies lined up in front of us that served as target practice. But instead of shooting, slicing, or stabbing the dummies, our weapon was now going to be embodied within Lelouch’s transformation. Lelouch and I had agreed yesterday night that it was best to go along with the training and try to control his power. It would certainly come in handy later if we needed to use force to defend ourselves against whatever was in store for us. But it’s easier said than done.

Lelouch looked at me, “Ready, (F/N)?”  
“As I’ll ever be,” I replied, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

Lelouch closed his eyes and I readied myself for what was to come. Soon, I felt the familiar tingling sensation that I had first experienced a few days ago. My consciousness was seeping out of me through the link and now I could sense Lelouch’s consciousness as well. His cells were trying to bring forth and express the alien genes without losing dominance. But without my help, he would be fighting a losing battle. 

His fingers started morphing slowly and a chill ran down my spine as I remembered what had happened the last time I saw that. I willed my consciousness to aid Lelouch in his fight and together, we fought to keep the alien matter in check. From an outside perspective, the two of us were standing very still, barely moving a muscle. Little would they know how intense the battle that raged inside us. 

Beads of sweat started to form on my head and glancing over at Lelouch, so was he. Still, we were winning the battle steadily. After what seemed like an eternity, Lelouch’s fingers finally transformed fully into tentacles that lay dormant around him. He slowly opened his eyes and upon seeing the successful transformation, looked at me with a small smile on his face. We had accomplished the first step.

“Lelouch, try moving the tentacles and once you’re comfortable, use them on the dummies,” Nina’s voice came out loud and clear from the speakers.

Lelouch and I exchanged glances. I nodded, signaling that I was ready for the next round. Lelouch tentatively moved the tentacles, the slight movement causing a slight imbalance in our synergy but I quickly suppressed the insurgence of the alien matter. We continued in this fashion for another 15 minutes until it had become an instinctive reflex. 

Now that we were more in control, Lelouch began making quicker movements and I synchronized my speed with his. I gave Lelouch the thumbs-up to move on to the final test. Without further ado, Lelouch launched his tentacles at one of the dummies, impaling it instantly. 

Everyone in the room gawked at the scene, including me and Lelouch. What we just did had many implications, one of which was that Lelouch had now become a human weapon, an extremely powerful weapon. It then occurred to me that maybe this was what Nina was aiming for. Lelouch grimaced, probably thinking along the same lines.

“Now, try to use your telekinesis, Lelouch,” Nina ordered, with not a hint of any emotion in her voice.

I glared up at her, wanting to voice my objections, but I was stopped by Lelouch’s voice.  
“(F/N). Let’s do this.”  
Hesitantly, I turned to Lelouch who gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head, warning me not to cause any trouble. I sighed in defeat, “Alright.”

Once again, Lelouch tried to awaken the power but… nothing happened. It seemed like the alien genes had been expressed fully and had nothing further to divulge. We were unsuccessful try after try and five minutes later, both of us were sweating profusely, almost at our mental limit.

Then, I had a sudden brainwave and I mentally willed my cells to give a slight push on Lelouch’s cells, causing them to merge a little with the alien matter. The reaction was instantaneous, causing a small shock wave to ripple through the training room, almost knocking me off my feet. I took a few steps back to regain my balance and when I looked up, Lelouch’s eyes had that strange symbol again.

_Oh no. Something’s wrong._

Lelouch’s tentacles were whipping around violently and from the corner of my eye, I could see the guards stationed above aiming their weapons at him, ready to take him out at the slightest hint of trouble. I looked frantically at Dr. Nina who seemed oblivious to the scene, only caring for results. My gaze swept back to Lelouch who still adorned that symbol. This time, his tentacles had slowed down but now, they were moving with a purpose as if they were… looking for prey.

_Damn it all to hell. We need to stop this now!_

My consciousness wasn’t able to reach equilibrium with the newly fused cells no matter how hard I tried. Running out of ideas, I allowed my cells to simply collide with them and somehow, in the process, one of Lelouch’s cells was knocked out of the fusion. Immediately, some of his tentacles began to droop down and remain still. Seeing the change, I urgently directed my cells to collide rapidly with the remaining fused cells. One by one, Lelouch’s cells were expelled and all the tentacles soon laid on the ground unmoving.

Lelouch collapsed to the ground, unconscious. “Lelouch!” I cried and rushed to his prone body. I tested for a pulse and breathed a sigh of relief when I felt his heart beating.

“Looks like we can’t go any further. So (F/N), take Lelouch back to his room and we’ll continue tomorrow. Later, once he’s awake, I need both of your statements,” Dr. Nina said over the speakers. She gestured to the standby medical team and they quickly made their way down to the training room.

I gritted my teeth in anger at her lack of empathy but the most important thing to do now was to get medical attention for Lelouch. Nodding curtly at Nina, I followed the medical team out of the facility.

_Just you wait, Nina. Just you wait._

* * *

“So you’re the famous cold-blooded killer, huh?”

The three hybrids and their controllers were seated around a long conference table. We had all completed training today and were ordered to discuss our experiences to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the hybrid’s powers. The atmosphere was pretty uncomfortable to begin and with that question directed towards me by Cornelia, it had become ten times worse.

“At your service,” I smirked while tilting my head towards her in a mock bow. Lelouch glanced at me curiously, probably wondering why I was so accepting of my title. To be honest, I couldn’t care less what people thought of me. It just puzzled me why people were so willing to accept things at face value. On the other hand, Lelouch seemed to see further beyond the exterior as exemplified by how he deduced that I would do anything for those I cared about. Yet another one of the reasons why I was so attracted to him.

Cornelia gave a slight shake of her head in displeasure and continued, “Anyway, we are here to discuss our experiences. So let’s just get on with it.”

We went around the table describing our training session, which we found to be remarkably similar with the exception that only Lelouch and I had made it to the last round of testing his powers. Cornelia and Gino managed to bring out their alien body composition but had failed to go beyond that. Apparently, Cornelia had sprouted wings whereas Gino manifested a tail that represented ancient water dragons.

Towards the end of the meeting, I noticed Kallen reaching her hand downwards under the table in my direction. Figuring that she wanted to pass something to me, I stretched my hand out as well but instead of feeling the smooth surface of a paper, I grasped thin air. I frowned and looked to my left, where Lelouch was sitting. His hand was below the table and when he retracted it, a piece of paper was tightly clutched in his palm. 

I glared at Kallen who gave me a small smirk. But then Lelouch pressed the paper into my hand after taking a glance at it. This time, it was my turn to snigger at Kallen, who looked infuriated. 

“Hey, what’s going on there?” Cornelia said sharply.  
“Nothing,” Lelouch replied calmly.  
Cornelia sighed in exasperation, “I hope it’s not just you guys passing around porn stuff again. I’ve had enough of that.”

“No…we weren’t – “ Kallen stuttered, too panicked to catch what Cornelia had mentioned.  
On the other hand, I was now looking at the two guys, Gino who was turning a bright red, and Lelouch who hadn’t even bat an eyelid.  
“You guys… pass porn around… in the lab??” I questioned, my voice now getting lower and threatening.  
Gino managed a nervous laugh, “No no of course not. It’s not like we do that.”  
Kallen had now caught on and glared daggers at Gino, “So this is what guys do during work huh?”  
“Kallen, we are not doing that,” Lelouch answered.  
Kallen pointed at Lelouch, “You. Shut up. Gino, you answer me. And look me in the eyes.”  
Gino opened his mouth, and immediately shut it again when he looked at Kallen.

I shook my head in disgust, “No need to ask anymore, Kallen. Judging from their reactions, it’s true. Guys are jerks.”  
Kallen nodded in agreement and barely suppressed a small smile when she looked at me. I grinned, finally having found some common ground with the hot-blooded red-head. Meanwhile, Lelouch turned to me, puzzled.

“Why did you think I was lying?” he asked.  
“You knitted your eyebrows slightly,” I replied nonchalantly.  
Lelouch blinked twice before looking away, confirming my suspicions.  
Cornelia exhaled loudly, “Fine, I think that’s it. Meeting adjourned.”

Gino and Kallen exited the room first, bickering loudly. Meanwhile, Cornelia and Gilbert were fussing over the notes that Gilbert had took during the meeting. Lelouch got up but couldn’t look me in the eye. I laughed inwardly at his reaction and excused myself to the washroom.

As soon as I was inside the toilet cubicle, I opened the folded paper and read its contents, a smile slowly spreading on my face. 

The note read: _I’m in. What do you need?_


	15. Into The Lion's Den

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **(AU Note: For maximum effect, listen to[this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO7GQa_Ri10))**

“Here goes,” I took a deep breath and looked over to my left at Kallen who gave an affirmative nod.  
“I’ll keep watch. Good luck in there, (F/N).”

I climbed out of the space vehicle and headed towards the back entrance of the High Residency. The five-story building housed the living quarters of all higher executives including Dr. Nina and was also used for special guests as well as for hosting important events. It was guarded by four floating security guards; two at the front and two at the back entrance as well as four security officers inside who monitor the internal security cameras. There were other staff as well that I had to avoid encountering. To enter, one had to either show the right documents granting access or allow the guard to confirm your purposes with the appropriate executive.

Kallen was not listed on the security detail but she knew a couple of guards that could be trusted. One thing was certain – the absence of guards during the alien attack was orchestrated. Kallen explained that Luciano had ordered an impromptu surveillance on that day. So, we had capitalized on those guards who had found the coincidence to be odd. Through some of her contacts, we had managed to arrange the security detail such that the guards situated at the back entrance and on Dr. Nina’s floor were in on our plan. Kallen would be the look out and the rest would be up to me.

As I closed in on the back entrance, the guard nodded to me and opened the door slightly. Before I entered, I took out my camera jammer and aimed it at the security camera monitoring the entrance. Once the feed was jammed, I quickly slipped in and made my way to the stairway. Along the way, I did not meet any of the staff which was a relief. They were probably preparing for the dear VIP Euphemia’s arrival. 

I entered the stairwell, jamming the security cameras there, and started climbing to the fifth floor where Nina’s quarters were located. Thank God I was in good physical shape. Grinning to myself, I figured Lelouch definitely wouldn’t be able to handle this.

At the fifth floor, I paused for a second, waiting for my breathing to stabilize. Once I was ready, I peered around the door and saw the guard, Jeremiah, stationed at his post outside Nina’s apartment. When he caught sight of me, he tilted his head to the left and rolled his eyes upward, signaling the location of the security camera.

I pulled out my camera jammer and aimed it in the direction that he indicated.  After that was done, I quietly stepped out and headed towards Jeremiah. 

“You really think there’s something going on?” Jeremiah enquired.  
“Yeah. We just need to find out what,” I replied, fishing for my bobby pins in the pocket of my jacket.  
“Hmph. You’d better share your findings with us then. After all, you wouldn’t be here without our help… Ms. Murderer,” said Jeremiah, his last word laced in acid.

Now armed with my bobby pin, I picked Nina’s lock and at the same time, calmly replied – eyes focused on the task in front of me – “Well, if I were you, I would choose my words more carefully. After all, bobby pins can also be used to kill.”

At the same time, I heard a click, indicating that the door was unlocked. Jeremiah started at the sound and upon realizing that it was just the door, threw a glare at me. I smirked at his reaction and giving a dismissive wave, entered the lion’s den.

I scanned Nina’s apartment, trying to decide where I should start my search. Unsurprisingly, papers were littered everywhere but that wasn’t my target. If I could, I would have planted bugs throughout the apartment but unfortunately, I didn’t bring my precious devices with me to this godforsaken planet. So, the only thing I could salvage would be information from her personal computer. 

Sweeping my eyes over the untidy living room and the equally messy – not to mention smelly – kitchen, I finally settled on the door at the end of the hallway. I treaded lightly over the papers, taking caution not to disrupt anything. Reaching the door threshold, I pushed the door open cautiously and peeped in. 

I grinned slightly. Jackpot! This was Nina’s bedroom cum workplace and right in front of me, perched on a desk, light from its screen flashing as if beckoning to me, was Nina’s personal computer. I hurried over to my prize eagerly. 

Soon, the soft sound of clacking keyboard keys filled the room and within seconds, I had gotten past the security on the system. I plugged in my old and faithful thumbdrive and commenced copying. Hopefully, there would be some useful data on the drive. Meanwhile, I started opening the desk drawers, hoping to find more clues.

Most of the items held no significance. I was almost finishing my search when I found a small Post-It that had the following sentence, “Remember to brief Luciano! D-Day.” That confirmed our suspicions that Nina and Luciano were both involved. 

Suddenly, the belt on my jeans started beeping. “Oh shit!” I cursed. I had given Kallen a transmitter that would send a signal to the chip on my belt causing it to beep. And she would use it to indicate that Dr. Nina was approaching. Which meant that I had less than 3 minutes to get the hell out of here. I turned to the computer screen. 

_35% left._

My heart was beating furiously as I tried to think of how to escape. It was impossible to leave the way I came in, not if I wanted to wait for the software to finish cleaning up. I rushed out of the bedroom, looking over the place for an escape route. Windows were reinforced, and I wasn’t going to hurl myself out from the fifth floor. That was suicide.

_Living room, no. Bathroom, no. Bedroom, definitely no. Kitchen, …_

I found myself looking at the rubbish chute, sizing it up. Since I was of a smaller build, I could definitely fit through. I shuddered at the thought of going through that dirty route. But the incessant beeping of my belt reinforced my sense of urgency. I hurried back to the bedroom and was relieved to find that the software was finally done. I extracted my thumbdrive and rushed back to the kitchen.

Opening the rubbish chute, I wrinkled my nose in disgust and was having second thoughts about the idea when I heard Jeremiah speak a little louder than normal, “Dr. Nina, you’re back early.” Silently thanking him for the warning, I gritted my teeth and squeezed my body into the chute. With a final breath, I let go of the handle and slid down at a grinding fast pace. 

The descent ended almost as fast as it began and I found myself face down in a pile of trash. I grunted in pain and looked up, only to find Rivalz’s shocked face staring at me.

“Rivalz! What was that sound?” someone called from a distance.  
“Oh! Errr… nothing! Just more trash,” Rivalz answered, still looking at me.  
I mouthed a silent thank you and motioned for him to continue his job. Rivalz frowned and started wheeling the garbage cart along with me away from the High Residency building. When we were quite a distance away from the building, Rivalz stopped and I climbed out of the cart, dusting myself off.  

“So… mind telling me why I find you appearing out of a rubbish chute in the High Residency?” Rivalz questioned me.  
“Trust me, Rivalz. You don’t wanna know,” I replied.  
“I think I deserve to know, especially since I just saved your ass,” Rivalz folded his arms defiantly.

I sighed in defeat, knowing that Rivalz wasn’t going to back down unless I told him something.  
“I promise I’ll tell you tomorrow instead,” I tried to bargain.  
Rivalz raised an eyebrow and after a moment’s deliberation, extended his hand with his last finger sticking out.  
“Really, RIvalz?”   
“It’s our old way of promising, remember? And you have to say the words.”  
I smiled slightly, remembering the good old days. Intertwining our fingers, I recited that old phrase.

“Cross my heart and hope to die.”


	16. Completing The Cast

The remainder of the day passed quickly. Everyone was excited that one of the World Government’s highest official’s daughter, Euphemia li Britannia, would be arriving here – at Planet Tristan – in a few hours. So my small leave of absence earlier in the day easily went unnoticed. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to examine my little treasure – the small thumb drive that resided in my pocket. Thumbing it around, I jumped up in surprise when one of the scientists tapped me on the shoulder.

“Euphemia’s here. You should get ready.”  
“Right,” I replied, getting up from my seat and heading out of the control room. 

I entered the pass code, and opening the door slightly, called out to Lelouch, “Hey, we need to greet Euphemia now.”

Lelouch was seated at the desk, poring over some papers that Lloyd had passed him this morning regarding the results of their experiments on his cells. At the sound of my voice, he slowly stood up, his gaze still focused on the papers. After a few seconds, he tore his eyes away and walked towards me.

“Found anything?” I enquired.  
“I think there’s a way to control the power after merging but… the calculations don’t match.” His eyes furrowed, deep in concentration.

“Hey, Lelouch!”  
We turned to see Gino running towards us, waving excitedly, while Kallen trudged behind him, looking slightly irritated. Cornelia and Gilbert brought up the rear, both of them in serious conversation with each other.

“Lelouch, I think I might have something,” Gino panted.  
“Regarding the cell symbiosis?” Lelouch raised his eyebrows.  
“Yeah, it probably needs an external factor – “  
“Wait a minute, so…”

I turned away from the two smartest scientists who were deep in conversation and brought my attention to Kallen. She cocked her head to one side, her eyes inquiring. 

“(F/N), you look tired. Busy day?”  
“Yeah. Got quite a lot of work done, despite all the preparations for Euphemia,” I smiled, giving her the thumbs-up.  
Kallen’s mouth twitched upwards slightly, understanding that the mission was a success. 

Footsteps echoed in the hallway, causing us to turn towards the sound. Soon, we heard muffled conversation followed by a sweet laugh that reverberated through the corridor. 

“Ah, Euphy is here,” Cornelia stated matter-of-factly, her normally serious face now barely concealing her excitement.

I raised my eyebrows, intrigued by her rare display of expression. Sensing an interesting relationship between the two women, I licked my lips in anticipation. Lelouch frowned at my strange reaction but I shrugged noncommittally at him and focused on the concierge of people that was approaching.

Euphemia appeared exactly like how she was portrayed in newspapers; gentle, doe-like eyes, a smile that never seemed to fade, and long flowing hair that accentuated her feminine beauty. Her mannerisms befitted that of someone who descended from nobility. She was currently dressed in a simple military jacket and jeans, which was the norm for people working in outer space – dresses and skirts just got in the way.

“Big sis!” she called to Cornelia who had to suppress a smile as the young lady skipped towards her.  
“I told you to greet me by my status when we’re in the public, Lady Euphemia,” Cornelia replied.

Euphemia covered her mouth rapidly. “Sorry… umm… Dr. Cornelia,” she said sheepishly.

_I don’t think Euphemia has a sister. That means… they must be very close to have such an intimate big sis-little sis relationship. Interesting._

“Yes, Lady Euphemia. You’ve already met our Chief Lab Manager, Cornelia Siltor.” Dr. Nina who was leading the group of people stepped forward to make the necessary introductions.

“This is her husband and controller, Gilbert Guilford.” 

Gilbert bowed slightly as he shook her hand.

“Head Scientist, Gino Weinberg and his controller, Kallen Kozuki.”

Gino grinned a little flirtatiously as he extended his hand, earning an elbow in the ribs from Kallen. Euphemia held in a giggle at their interaction. Next was Kallen, who tried to form a smile. Euphemia smiled sweetly at her, eliciting a small blush on Kallen’s  cheeks.

“Head Scientist, Lelouch Lamperouge and his controller, (F/N) (L/N).”

Lelouch smiled, “We’ve met before, Lady Euphemia.”  
“It’s been too long, Lelouch,” Euphemia replied softly.

I frowned, wondering about their relationship, when it struck me that since she was Suzaku’s girlfriend, they would probably have seen each other before.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, (F/N). I didn’t know Lelouch had a girlfriend,” Euphemia said as she shook my hand.

Before I could reply, Lelouch smoothly interjected, “Oh we are just friends, Lady Euphemia.”  
“But I thought if (F/N)’s a controller, then…” began Euphemia, looking a little confused.

Cornelia interrupted, “Actually, I myself find that surprising. I thought that lady chef… what’s her name…” 

“Ah Shirley! Yeah I thought that girl would be Lelouch’s controller instead of a… murderer.” Cornelia threw a glance at me as if daring me to retort.

Euphemia looked at me in shock but her eyes conveyed not fear, but empathy. I simply rolled my eyes in annoyance, wishing that Cornelia would just get off my case.

Cornelia continued, “But then again, that Shirley is a dumb blonde. Nothing but an airhead. I guess it makes sense that she’s not a controller.”

Something in me snapped. I didn’t mind people labeling me as a murderer. But insulting my friend – that was unforgivable in my books.

Turning to Cornelia with blazing eyes, I shot back, “At least Shirley has better taste in men than you. Marrying beneath your station… don’t you feel ashamed?”

Everyone turned to me, stunned. Cornelia was outraged, Gilbert was frozen in shock. I smirked, satisfied that I had repaid her insult back in full. Before Cornelia could lunge at me, Nina broke the tension.

“Alright, alright. That’s enough of small talk. Lady Euphemia, please follow me to Suzaku’s room. The rest of you, get back to your respective rooms as well. We have a long day ahead of us!”

Nina ushered a shocked Euphemia towards Suzaku’s room, leaving the six of us in the hallway. Gilbert quietly muttered to Cornelia to return. Cornelia glared daggers at me before spinning around and stomping back towards their shared room. 

Gino whistled softly under his breath. “Boy, (F/N), you have guts,” he said as he winked at me. Kallen merely stared, still appalled at my outburst. I almost laughed when Gino had to lead her back down the hallway. Glancing at Lelouch, he too was as surprised as the others. 

“Come on, Lelouch. We still have work to do.”

* * *

We worked together in silence; I was tapping away furiously on my laptop whereas Lelouch was scribbling more equations on his papers. There was nothing particularly interesting in most of the files on Nina’s hard drive but one section of the file system was encrypted with the most advanced cryptographic scheme. That gave me hope – using such a cumbersome algorithm proved that there were some secrets embedded in her computer.

All of a sudden, Lelouch clapped his hands together and stood up so rapidly that his chair fell down. I turned towards him, puzzled. 

“I got it! All we need to do is merge your cells together as well. It’s the same principle as the link, so your cells are the regulating factor for the symbiosis to work and thus, allowing the powers to manifest,” Lelouch proclaimed excitedly.

Slowly, I nodded, taking my time to digest what he had just thrown out at rapid speed. “That makes sense…”

“Well, that’s great timing though. At least tomorrow’s training session will be very productive especially since Euphemia’s already here,” I continued.

“Hmm yeah, that’s true,” Lelouch hummed as he dived back into his papers, probably doing a last check over his calculations. 

As I turned back to my laptop, I heard him chuckle softly. “What?” I asked, not looking up from my screen.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen Cornelia looking absolutely livid. Not many people dare to talk back to her, including Gilbert. You just couldn’t stand her insulting Shirley right? I guess you really do have a soft spot for your friends.”

My fingers paused, hanging above my keyboard. 

_The first rule to survival that I learnt: Don’t show any weaknesses. Hide your blind spot from people._

I laughed and shook my head. “Nah, it was because she called me a murderer and right in front of such an important person.”

Lelouch studied me with a serious expression, “You’re lying. You only reacted after she called Shirley dumb.”

I gave a small shrug. “Think whatever you want then.”

“Did you really kill someone, (F/N)?”

“Yes, I did,” I replied evenly.

Lelouch remained silent for a moment. Wordlessly, he climbed into the bed beside me. 

“Thank you for being honest with me, (F/N).”

I turned towards Lelouch, perplexed by his reaction. “Aren’t you bothered by it?” I asked quietly.

Looking deep into my eyes, he replied, “You would not have done it without a valid reason. That’s what I think.”

Turning on his side, he said, “Good night, (F/N). We have a long day ahead of us.”

I stared at his back, baffled by his belief of me. Shaking my head in both wonder and disbelief, I turned back to my laptop. Giving a small snort, I resumed my typing as a single tear fell from my eyes.


	17. Hardly Coincidence

For the second time this week, Lelouch and I stood in the sturdy training room of the Security and Maintenance facility. Based on Lelouch and Gino’s calculations, we should be able to awaken the power of the hybrids just by attaching the controller’s cells to the alien-hybrid fusion. Lelouch and I would test out this hypothesis first before the other hybrid-controller pairs. 

_In other words, we are the guinea pigs. A very comforting thought indeed._

I suppressed a small yawn as we waited for the guards to take their positions in the observation dome above. I had stayed up extremely late last night trying to decrypt the contents of Nina’s hard drive. Normally, I found such tasks to be challenging and I would attack the problem at my own pace, striving for elegancy rather than speed. But now, time was of the essence. It was more important to get access to the data rather than finding the most elegant solution. So for the first time in my career, I felt frustration build up in me at every passing hour when the brute-force algorithm turned up with no results.

Although I had the urge to go back and stare at my laptop crunching numbers, I knew for a fact that there was nothing I could possibly do to speed up the process. I just had to hope that out of the large space of possible combinations, the number that Nina had chosen as her private key would be stumbled upon soon by the software as it blindly searched every single possibility – much as a person would search for a needle in a haystack. When that would be – I would not know. 

“Are you alright, (F/N)?” Lelouch asked, a tinge of concern in his voice.  
“Yeah, I’m just tired. I can do this, don’t worry.” I smiled in reassurance.

Lelouch studied me closely, unsure whether I would be able to handle this session with my current level of fatigue. But before he could say anything, Nina’s voice came over the speakers, “You can go ahead and start.”

We exchanged a little nod and Lelouch began the transformation. The process was much quicker than before and within a few seconds, his fingers had already morphed into the tentacles. He flexed them slowly until the two of us had gotten used to the synergy.

Now was the difficult part. I took a deep breath and gulped nervously as Lelouch tentatively nudged his cells into the alien cells. At the same time, I willed my cells to enter the fused composition. The silence was deadening as we watched the merging of the cells with bated breath. Power surged through Lelouch’s consciousness and flooded through the link towards my own consciousness. 

As the alien portion fought for domination, spikes of its power affected me as well and the overwhelming sense of a foreign body attacking my system caused me to panic. But before it could take control of my consciousness, Lelouch reminded me of his presence by reaching out over the link and injecting his cells. I quickly regained my bearings, fighting together with him to retain control of the fused cells.

Slowly but surely, we subjugated the alien plasma and the fused cells began to reach equilibrium. After a nerve-wrecking five minutes, we had the power under our control. Both of us were breathing heavily and sweat glistened on our skin, but we glanced at each other with triumph. It had worked. The hypothesis was correct. And most importantly, we were alive and in control.

Like us, Nina and the other scientists were in an equally joyous mood as they clapped their hands in joy after witnessing the successful experiment from the control room perched high above us. But I suspected the reasons behind their jubilation leaned towards scientific discovery and possibly the confirmation of a powerful human weapon. If I had the energy, I would laugh at the absurdity of this whole situation but at this moment, my full concentration was focused on maintaining the equilibrium of the fused power.

“Try using your telekinesis now, Lelouch,” Nina ordered, her voice filled with anticipation and manic glee.

Lelouch looked over at me and I nodded in assent. He lifted his arm steadily and once it was at shoulder level, he pointed it at one of the mannequins located 10 meters in front of us. The training room fell silent and the tension was palpable. Every single person in the room was focused on Lelouch and the mannequin. Nobody budged, and time seemed to slow down as Lelouch twitched one of his tentacles. 

I watched in amazement as the mannequin was suddenly flung the full 100 feet towards the end of the room. When it hit the wall, the impact was so great that it smashed into pieces immediately. What was left of the mannequin were chunks of meat strewn all over the floor. I didn’t even realize that I was holding my breath until the sound of slow clapping came over the speakers.

“Congratulations, guys. You did it.” Nina gave us the thumbs-up and turning back to the other scientists, she barked a few orders that got them scrambling for their equipment to record the results and convey the message to the three other hybrid-controller pairs to execute the same experiments.

Walking over to Lelouch, I could see the exhaustion clearly written on his face. His tentacles had morphed back to his long slender fingers as soon as the mannequin had disintegrated. Now, he was bent forward, his hands resting on his knees for support as he panted softly. 

I chuckled slightly, “You’re still bad at physical activity, huh.”

Lelouch looked at me through half-lidded eyes that showed the amount of physical exertion he had suffered. “How did you know that?”

Shrugging my shoulders slightly, I took his arm and slung it over my shoulder, pulling him close to my body. “Everyone knows you suck at anything that requires physical strength or stamina. Still, the company pulled strings to get you to outer space. I guess that really shows how much they needed your brains.”

Laughing slightly, he walked unsteadily forward with my support. “Yeah, they faked my physical test results. Seems like our company is pretty underhanded in its ways to get talented people. It doesn’t matter who they are or what background they have – as long as they are good at what they do – they’ll get recruited.”

I smirked at the knowledge that one of the most brilliant scientists had to cheat at something to get this privileged position. 

Lelouch continued, “I mean, they even got you – a person with a criminal record – over here. Well obviously you’re one of the best in your field – “

My smile disappeared as I let go of his arm forcefully, causing him to stumble slightly before straightening up. 

“(F/N)? I’m sorry… did I say something – “  
“Just shut up. I was wrong. You’re no different from them,” I snarled, my eyes blazing with fury.

Without listening to his protests, I stomped off towards my office. Once I reached my sanctuary, I slammed the door and collapsed against its cold, metal frame. As I slumped to the floor, my ears began ringing with Lelouch’s last words. My eyes stung with tears as I recalled the words he had said the previous night in contrast with todays’. I hugged my knees tightly as I rocked back and forth, my body wracked with sobs. My fingers dug into my flesh, drawing blood from my arm. But the physical pain was obscured by the blade that had plunged into my heart – the blade of words that cut deeper than the tip of a knife. Over and over again, I repeated my last words.

_You’re just like them. Just like… them._

* * *

Hours later, I stood in one of the conference rooms, my back against the wall and my arms folded against my chest. I surveyed the other hybrids and their controllers as they filed into the room. My tears had dried up and my sorrow had been replaced with a cold steel gaze. I had learnt from young to bounce back fast from any sadness that I experienced and that had made me stronger. 

As Lelouch came in, I fixed my hard gaze on him before turning towards the large conference table and taking a seat far away from the entrance. He made towards me but Suzaku and Euphemia entered at that instance. As soon as Suzaku saw Lelouch, he enveloped Lelouch in a hug. 

“I’m glad you’re alright, Lelouch.”  
Smiling tenderly at his best friend, Lelouch replied, “No, I should be the one saying that. I thought that… you were dead.”

I snorted and rolled my eyes in exasperation at the cheesiness of the whole reunion. Noticing me, Suzaku gave a small smile and Euphemia walked towards me, a smile still adorning her face. She took the seat on my left, making me scoot over to the right. But then, Lelouch and Suzaku came over as well, with Lelouch taking the seat to my right and Suzaku sitting beside Euphemia.

Sighing in frustration, I positioned my seat smack in the middle between Lelouch and Euphemia, not wanting to be close to either. As the others came into the room, Euphemia tried to start a conversation.

“You’re (F/N), right?”  
“Yeah, I’m the killer, remember, Lady Euphemia?” I replied nonchalantly.

Euphemia wasn’t sure of how to respond but settled with a little laugh that tried to pass off what I just said as a joke.

“Just call me Euphy, (F/N).”  
“Fine, whatever.” I turned my gaze forward as Cornelia took the seat at the head of the table.

Euphemia was about to continue but got cut off by Cornelia’s opening words.

“So, I take it that everyone’s training session went well. We are here to discuss the results of today’s session and to see whether we can find out anything about these powers. Let’s go around the table.”

We learnt that Cornelia could spit fire, much like those acrobats that we see at home, but much larger and intense. I almost burst out in laughter when Gilbert recounted one moment in their experiment when Cornelia’s fire almost burnt her wings. Still, I had to admit that her power was really cool… and useful in a fight. Gino’s power was the opposite of Cornelia – ice that encased a mannequin completely and once shattered, breaks the mannequin as well. Lelouch did the telling of our session while I remained quiet.

Finally, it was Suzaku’s turn. We found out that he had sharp claws as arms and long, strong raptor-like legs that allowed him to jump high and far. Most interestingly, his power manifested as sound waves that could affect certain frequencies and cause one’s brains to feel like it was on the verge of explosion. Apparently, it was a pretty horrifying experience for the guards who were directly exposed to it. 

We continued talking about how we felt during the entire experience – most of it was standard stuff around the board. Lelouch tried to make eye contact with me throughout the meeting but I refused to even glance his way. 

Cornelia began, “Well, I guess that’s it for today then. Tomorrow – “ 

Her words were suddenly drowned out by a high-pitched wail of the emergency alarm. She frowned and looked at Gilbert who was equally perplexed. Everyone started throwing looks around the room and at the alarm which was still ringing incessantly. 

Finally, a voice came over the speakers, “It’s the aliens again! Everyone get to the Shelter now! Hybrids and their controllers, make your way to the Security facility immediately!”

I whipped around to Lelouch who was also shocked. We looked at each other, the same thought running through our minds.

_This was too coincidental._


	18. Calm Before The Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **(AU Note: For maximum effect, listen to[this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tn7KHQ5X0e4))**

We took the long route to the Security facility, running past the back entrances of a few buildings. After we had found out that the single alien was situated in the open area smack in the middle of facility, Cornelia suggested that we go around the perimeter of our space station rather than heading straight – which would expose us to a direct attack. 

Both Kallen and Suzaku were holding guns that they had retrieved from the emergency room in our building. They positioned themselves to the right of our little formation, closer to the direction in which the alien supposedly was. Cornelia led the front, Gilbert brought up the rear. Gino, Euphy, Lelouch, and I were in the middle, the safest position in the formation. 

The atmosphere was tense. Most of us had recently been through this harrowing experience, with the exception of Euphy and Kallen. I had to admire Euphy for being so calm in this situation. The only sign of her anxiety and fear was reflected in her eyes that constantly flitted from Suzaku to Cornelia and then to the alleys that we passed. Kallen and Suzaku were both used to dangerous situations; they looked in control and ready to fire at anything that came at us. The married couple obviously must have been through similar circumstances because, like Kallen and Suzaku, they guarded the formation with surprising ease. 

Gino and Euphy were running a little ways in front of Lelouch and I, so I figured now was the time to confirm my suspicions with Lelouch. Turning to my left, I realized Lelouch was no longer by my side but a little further back, panting heavily and dragging his legs. With a sigh, I sprinted towards him and grabbed his hand. He stared at me in surprise as I pulled him along, forcing his weaker body to jog at my pace.

“(F/N), you – “  
“Is this attack intentional?” I cut him short, getting to the point.  
He examined me for a split second before replying, “I believe so.”

Those three words confirmed my worst fear – that we were nothing but guinea pigs, human weapons that were going to be put to the test. The timing was just too convenient. For it to happen right after we had learned to control the hybrids’ powers, what was the chance of that? 

“You don’t need to… help me… like this,” Lelouch huffed.  
“Oh for Christ’s sake, you’re slowing down the group… I see, you don’t want a murderer’s help, do you?” I snapped.  
Lelouch studied my expression carefully. “You’re still mad, (F/N)?”

Before I could retort, Cornelia called out from the front. “Guys, we’re approaching. Slow down.”

The group slowed down to a halt behind a building. Ahead was a large road that separated us from the garage of the Security facility. A gasp escaped from Euphy’s lips. Gino muttered a small, “Holy shit.” The rest of us stared in horror at the sight of multiple bodies littering the road, their limbs twisted in grotesque fashions. Obviously, the battle had also reached here. 

Across the road was a group of guards holding multiple different types of artillery, most likely awaiting our arrival and to escort us safely to the facility. Their expressions were grim and fearful, probably having witnessed the death of some of their fellow colleagues. 

Upon seeing us, one of them spoke into his earpiece and lifted his hand, signaling to us that we should hold our ground. After a few seconds, he gave the thumbs-up. Cornelia nodded and waved Suzaku and Euphy over. The three of them sprinted across the road, Suzaku constantly training his weapon towards the right. A few guards had erected a makeshift barricade and they crouched behind it, positioning their guns just over the top, ready to give cover fire and ward off any attack. With bated breath, I saw them cross over without any problems. 

Up next was Kallen, Gino, and Lelouch. As they waited for the signal from the guard, Lelouch cast a look of concern at me but I merely shrugged. The thumbs-up was given and the three of them took off. I crossed my fingers, hoping that they too would cross safely. Mad as I was, I didn’t want anything to happen to Lelouch.

Soon, they too were safe and now it was down to me and Gilbert. Nodding at each other, we started to cross the road after we received the all-clear signal. As we ran, time seemed to crawl and every second felt like an hour to me. My heart pounded so loudly that it obscured all other sounds. Sweat glistened on my skin and my breath came out in ragged gasps. I stole a glance to my right and my eyes widened as I took in the large alien situated not 100 meters away from me.

It wasn’t tall like the previous one. This alien’s body was close to the ground, its four short, webbed-like feet planted firmly on the surface. Its eyes had the same reptilian look and its skin was also pitch black. What made it so dangerous was its long, spiked tail that whipped around from side to side. And as I stared, it brought its tail down on another guard, a final high-pitched shriek filling the air.

Although I could hear the heavy chatter of machine guns, it didn’t seem to have any effect on the alien. It merely looked even more irritated at what would seem like small ants biting its body. As I watched, it slowly turned its head towards me. A chill ran down my spine. Its reptilian eyes took in the sight of two humans – insignificant, small prey – entering its territory.

Subsequently, everything proceeded in slow motion. The guards tried to lay suppressive fire. I stared in horror as it opened its mouth, revealing tons of razor-sharp teeth. Its tongue shot out at lightning-speed while I urged my feet to move even faster. In a split second, I heard a cry from Gilbert. Turning to my right, I saw its tongue tightly wrapped around the man. What was more terrifying were the bolts of electricity that enveloped Gilbert. The crackling and hissing sounds of his electrocution struck terror into my heart.

I couldn’t budge from the spot; my gaze remained fixed on Gilbert. His body was now convulsing and his eyes were bulging out of its sockets. I heard a scream behind me and when I spun around, I saw Cornelia collapsing to the ground, hands gripping her chest. Tears streamed down her face and her breath came out in short, fast gasps. Euphy, Lelouch and Gino were bent over her, trying to calm her down, but she seemed to be in immense physical and emotional pain. The guards were firing incessantly at the alien’s tongue and even Suzaku and Kallen joined in the fray. But their efforts were as useless as their colleagues over on the other side.

_What should I do? Should I run… or should I fight? What’s the benefit?_

My mind raced as I tried to decide my course of action. Logically speaking, I should run. We didn’t stand a chance. Gilbert doesn’t stand a chance. Why should I risk my life?

_Yet I’m still standing here. Why? Why am I not choosing self-preservation? Why take the risk?_

I shook my head in frustration at my own indecisiveness. A silent tug-of-war was being fought between my heart and my brain. Precious seconds ticked by and I was breaking into a cold sweat. Then, I suddenly recalled the last rule in my survival guide book.

_When you’re unsure, follow your gut._

Snapping out of my reverie, I began to search my surroundings with a sense of purpose. Finally, my gaze landed on a crossbow that hung loosely on a dead guard’s shoulder. Rapidly, I grabbed it from the corpse, checked that an arrow was still lodged in the barrel, and lifted it onto my shoulders. The crossbow didn’t have a scope so I had to rely on my old training. 

_Deep breaths. Inhale, exhale. Inhale… exhale._

The arrow sailed through the air silently and I held my breath as it travelled the 100 meters… and landed squarely in the alien’s eye. With a roar, it closed its eye – more in irritation than in pain. But that was enough. Its tongue loosened its hold over Gilbert and he sank to the ground, unmoving. Seizing the opportunity, I quickly grabbed hold of Gilbert and half-dragged him across the remaining distance. 

The guards had already started escorting the other hybrids and controllers into the facility. When my feet finally left the graveled road, the remaining guards immediately took Gilbert off my shoulder and ushered the two of us into the garage. As soon as all of us were inside, the large door closed behind us with a loud thud. 

I sank to the floor in relief, my sudden burst of energy now leaving my body. The guards rushed Gilbert inside for medical attention, followed by the other hybrids and controllers. Lelouch ran to my side and dropped to his knees. 

“Are you ok, (F/N)?” He quickly assessed my physical state, immediately checking my pulse and his hands roamed over my body, searching for any injuries. If it weren’t for this life-or-death situation, I would have felt a different type of hormone surge through my body. But at the moment, I just wanted to rest and calm my beating heart. Finding no significant problems, save for the increased pulse rate, Lelouch sighed in relief and helped me to my knees.

“Come, we need to get further inside.” 

This time, he was assisting me – my arm slung across his shoulder and his hand wrapped around my waist. I sneaked a look at him. His expression was calm but I could tell from his eyes that hidden beneath that façade was anxiety, fear, and… relief? 

_Was he worried about me?_

Smiling a little, I relaxed my body even more, letting him support my entire weight. Lelouch grunted at the sudden amount of pressure exerted on his shoulder and looked at me in surprise.

“(F/N), you know I’m not strong enough to support your entire weight.”  
I snorted, “Then it’s about time you build up some muscle, Lelouch.”

He smiled and pulled me closer. “Guess you’re not so angry now.”  
“No, I’m not! I’m still mad at you,” I huffed.

Lelouch shook his head in disbelief and walked me towards the secured interior. I gave up my protests and tried to enjoy this short reprieve. Turning my attention to Lelouch, I realized how secure he made me feel despite his lack of broad shoulders or strong hands. My senses tingled as I felt the warmth of his hands on my skin. The aura of calm confidence that he radiated made me feel at peace albeit the ever-present danger of our current situation. 

But all good things come to an end, and we finally caught up with the others in the medical supplies room. Lelouch helped me to one of the beds and I instantly sprawled on the bed, grateful for the soft linen. Looking to my right, I saw Gilbert on another bed, with all manners of tubes connected to him. The monitor beside him beeped at a steady rate and I relaxed, knowing that he was in a stable condition.

Over in another corner, Kallen and Suzaku were reloading their weapons. Gino was administering an injection to Gilbert, with Cornelia and Euphy watching over him. When I turned to look at Cornelia, she walked over to my bedside. 

“(F/N)…” she began with a stern look.  
I closed my eyes wearily, awaiting her next words.

“Thank you.” 

My eyes shot open, staring at her in surprise. She was wearing a small smile, and when I didn’t say anything, she continued, “I was wrong about you. And I apologize for that. You saved my husband’s life today and I am indebted to you.”

My heart skipped a beat. A warm, bubbly feeling spread through my body, a flush threatening to appear on my cheeks. There weren’t many times that someone apologized to me or thanked me for something that I did. It felt… nice… to be appreciated. But I reminded myself not to let it go to my head.

“Tsk, I guess both of you owe me a favor then,” I grinned.  
“You have my word,” Cornelia replied, holding out her hand.

I shook her hand firmly in agreement. Before either of us could say another word, a guard burst in.

“Guys, Dr. Nina wants you all in the conference room immediately!”

 

_The nightmare wasn’t over. It was just beginning._


	19. The Hybrids Team

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **(AU Note: For maximum effect, listen to[this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWDYAJ2-Y1E))**

All of us stood in a circle around the holographic table which was currently displaying a map of the entire space station. A small red spot blinked red, indicating our current position, and slightly further away, a blinking black spot represented the alien’s reported position. 

“You’re asking us to battle the alien?” Cornelia’s voice went down by an octave, emphasizing her anger at the absurd task that had suddenly been thrust upon us.

Nina merely nodded, oblivious to the increasing tension in the room. “Obviously. The guards stand no chance. You guys are our only hope.”

“How about the emergency purge?” I asked.

“No. We stand to lose everything if we do that. It basically means packing up our bags and going back home.” Nina shook her head vigorously.

“That’s better than dying,” Kallen retorted. Beside her, Gino nodded in agreement.

Looking at each of us in turn, Nina cocked her head to one side. “Well, failing this mission just means I need to hand in a report detailing the cause of such failure…”

Euphy noticeably sighed in relief whereas Kallen and Gino relaxed slightly. However, the rest of us eyed Nina suspiciously, waiting for her to complete her obviously unfinished sentence.

“… and I could easily include the fact that the lot of you had failed to comply with orders that were given to you, which would mean that you would have to undergo inspection and follow-up interviews to decide whether you’re fit to continue working in the company. And I believe you know how that usually ends up,” she ended her speech, a small smirk dancing on her lips as she spoke the last words.

She didn’t need to spell out the last part. All of us knew what that would mean. Loss of a job, a black mark on our record, and for some of us, a bad life ahead. Such was the society that we lived in, especially since we worked in a prestigious company. For me, it would be particularly bad. Granted, I had a criminal record. So unless I got hired by the dark forces or something, you could count on me living on the streets. Apparently, the rest of the people here must have some problems as well – judging from the looks on their faces now. Well, except for Euphy who was looking slightly confused.

_Wait, she should speak up. Of all of us, she held the most authoritative power given her status – Ah… I get it._

There was a common rumor among civilians that Euphemia li Britannia was in fact the illegitimate child of Charles li Britannia, one of the highest officials of the World Government. Gossip magazines had ran with the story for a while before it was taken down shortly and an apology statement released saying that it was a false rumor. But news circulated around in the dark web which wasn’t as easily controlled by the World Government. I half-believed it at the time but judging from her silence at this crucial time, the rumors must have been true.

A quiet voice spoke up beside me. “We’ll do it.”

All eyes fell on Lelouch who was now staring at Nina, his expression grim and resolute. He had been quiet all this time, examining the map as the rest of us had focused on Nina. 

A sly grin made its way across Nina’s face but before she could declare her triumph, Lelouch continued, “On one condition.”

Nina’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Go on.”

Lelouch glanced at me before laying down his deal. “The controllers are to be placed in a separate armored van in this alley.” He pointed to one of the back lanes that was a safe distance away from the alien but not too far away by space vehicles.

“But then the controllers wouldn’t be able to control the hybrids,” Nina pointed out.  
Before I could interrupt Lelouch, he replied, “That shouldn’t be a problem. According to my calculations, this distance shouldn’t affect the controlling of the hybrid power.”

_Wait, Lelouch. How could you give away that important fact? They’ll separate us later, remember?_

I glared at him in annoyance, tilting my head to one side as I questioned his judgement. As if to answer my implicit question, he said, “When Gilbert was attacked earlier, Cornelia experienced something almost similar to a heart attack. According to what she described later, I believe that when the controller is facing a near-death situation, it also negatively impacts the hybrid.”

Nina contemplated this for a while before nodding her agreement. “Fine. We need to ensure the hybrids safety afterall.”

Meanwhile, I turned Lelouch’s words over and over in my head. Something was bothering me about what he said. It wasn’t about the negative impact he mentioned or what Cornelia had experienced. It nagged at my brain incessantly and then it struck me. I had been so taken by his act of concern earlier and it was only now that I understood why he had been so worried about my well-being. A sickening feeling threatened to envelop me as I realized how easily I had let my feelings take over my better judgement. How many times did I need to learn my lesson the hard way? 

_He was only worried about himself, you dummy. Why would he care about you?_

I chuckled bitterly, earning the looks of some people around me. Mumbling that it was nothing, I hastily turned away from the table, took a deep breath to compose myself, and finally swiveled back to focus my attention on the discussion that was taking place.

Apparently, everyone had grudgingly agreed to take part in the taking down of the alien. The only one who was delighted with this situation was of course, Nina. Her eyes gleamed in pure excitement which made me wonder whether she even knew the risks that were at stake. 

Kallen was the first to voice out her suggestion. “So why don’t we just attack it from all sides?”

“No. That would be suicidal. We would be staking it all on one move without understanding more about the enemy. What we really need is to figure out its weak spot,” Lelouch spoke without hesitation.

Gino nodded in agreement. “I think Lelouch should be in charge of the plan.”

Cornelia eyed Lelouch hesitantly. “Are you sure we can trust you with this?”

“Are you kidding me? Lelouch here is one of the best chess masters!” Gino exclaimed.

“That’s not really enough to go on- “ Cornelia started but was interrupted by Suzaku.

“I can vouch for him as well. He has gotten the both of us out of many dangerous situations with the least amount of effort and injury.”

Looking around the table, Cornelia heaved a sigh and nodded curtly.

“Fine. What do you suggest, Lelouch?”

* * *

“Hybrids, please acknowledge your position and status.”

“Cornelia, on top of building R.”  
“Gino, in alley B with a space bike.”  
“Suzaku, in alley F.”

“Roger that,” I spoke into the microphone while flicking the three screens to the side and bringing the fourth screen to the center, increasing its focus. All the controllers as well as Lelouch were stationed in the armored space vehicle located in one of the alleys. We had been outfitted with a headset each and all of us could communicate with each other. I manned the control console that was connected to the security feed from the cameras in the vicinity of the alien. Although there weren’t as many as we could hope for, it still gave enough visuals on what would go down later.

Sliding to the side where another set of screens blinked continuously, I checked the progress on the Y-wave scanner that was situated in alley F beside Suzaku. It was the latest scanner that exceeded the previous millimeter wave scanner and could easily allow visuals of a human’s beating heart, for example. Fitted with the appropriate equipment, it was now focused on the alien. Unfortunately, it took some time to power up and would require a direct line of sight. 

That’s where the hybrids came in. With the appropriate amount of distraction, we hoped to be able to analyze the alien’s composition and identify its core. After which, it would all come down to a matter of the hybrids aiming for that sweet spot. Easy in theory, difficult in practice.

“Scanner is ready to go,” I gave the thumbs up to Lelouch.

“Alright, guys, remember the plan, follow my orders, and I can assure you we will win,” Lelouch spoke, sounding very much like the commander of an army rather than a nerdy scientist. Definitely surprising and very unexpected. Although I had my misgivings about him, I had to admire his myriad of talents.

“Begin synchronize,” I coordinated.

The three controllers in the vehicle fell still, beginning the process of achieving synchronization with their respective hybrids. On the screens, I could see Cornelia sprouting wings, and Suzaku with his claws and raptor-like legs. Gino didn’t need to morph as Lelouch felt his transformation wouldn’t be helpful to the mission. Since the alien was too close to the ground, Gino couldn’t slip under it even with his morphed tail. So to make up for the lack of mobility, Gino was assigned a space bike.

Lelouch watched as the other three hybrids finished their transformation. He nodded to me, signaling the beginning of the mission. 

“Mission commencing.” I gave out the start command.

Cornelia flapped her wings twice, her feet lifting off from the roof of the building. Once she felt stable enough, she soared in the air before swooping down towards the alien. The sound of rushing air attracted the attention of the alien, causing it to swivel its head towards Cornelia.

“Gino, move to target,” Lelouch ordered.

“Roger!” Gino acknowledged and revved up the space bike. Zooming out of the alley, he approached the alien from the front. The alien was still looking back at Cornelia when Gino stretched out his right arm towards the alien’s front legs. Ice began to form around the right leg of the alien and noticing the abnormal sensation, the alien spun towards Gino, hissing in annoyance.

“Suzaku, move now!” Lelouch quickly commanded, his eyes darting across each of the screens.

Springing into action, Suzaku ran towards the alien at a surprising speed, boosted by his enhanced legs. He leapt in mid-air, his body poised with his claws stretched out behind him. In a swift motion, he swung the claws in a semi-circular motion down towards the alien’s back legs. The rest of us held our breaths as we watched the claws make contact with the alien’s body.

Suzaku’s claws sunk into the meaty leg but his inertia wasn’t enough for the claws to plunge deep enough to deal great damage to the alien. It did aggravate the alien even further as it turned around to face Suzaku with a pained roar. 

Lelouch’s hands flew to his headset as he barked a retreat command to Suzaku who quickly extracted his claws and leapt back. 

“All of you continuously distract it! Use sound, sight, anything!” Lelouch hastily said.

Turning to the second set of screens, he scanned the snapshots of the alien taken by the Y-wave scanner. 

“We should help them out too!” Kallen exclaimed, her eyes furrowed in worry and agitation. Gilbert was already reaching out for one of the guns stocked in the vehicle. Euphy was fidgeting but obviously intended to do the same as her eyes flickered towards the weapon stash.

“Stop it!” I yelled. The three of them froze and stared at me, shocked by my sudden outburst.

“You’ll only be a distraction to them.” I gestured to the hybrids fighting on the screen. “Just stick to the plan and make sure their powers don’t get out of hand. We don’t need more trouble on our hands,” I snapped, my eyes glaring daggers at each of them, daring them to disobey.

“Shit!” Kallen muttered in frustration as she punched the walls of the vehicle. Gilbert hesitated for a moment before returning the gun to its previous position. 

“Wha- what should we do then?” Euphy asked hesitantly.

“I said it already. Control their powers. That’s it,” I replied quietly.

A small gasp caught our attention. Lelouch’s eyes were wide and he rushed to the screen, taking a closer look at one of the recently produced snapshots.

“Suzaku, the alien’s core is located in the center of its belly. Your claws should be able to reach it,” Lelouch quickly spoke through the headset.

A reply came over the speakers, slightly muffled by the surrounding noise. “How do we get under it though?”

Lelouch pinched the bridge of his nose, deep in thought. His eyes scanned the screens for a clue and finally settled on the building where Cornelia had taken off from. 

“Wait for my signal. Suzaku, you’ll know how to take your shot then,” Lelouch said while hastily suiting up. “(F/N), synchronize with me now.”

“Wa-wait, what?” I asked, confused by the sudden turn of events.  
“I’m going in.”  
“Alone?” I followed him as he moved around.  
“The others will be there.”  
“Yeah they have their own backs to take care of and you aren’t even capable of taking care of yourself!” I retorted.  
“Stay here, (F/N). That’s an order. You have to be safe.”

I stopped. “Oh right. MY safety,” I spat out sarcastically. Lelouch threw me a confused look.

“Why don’t you just be honest and say that it’s for your own safety? That you’re worried if anything happens to me, you’ll get affected just the same!” My voice rang out an octave higher.

Lelouch walked towards the door and slid it open. Before he stepped out, he paused. Without looking back, he said quietly, “Just… stay here.”

The door slid shut with a soft thud. Silence enveloped the vehicle as all eyes rested on me, waiting to see what I would do next.

Silently cursing the bastard, I spun around to face my screens, typing furiously like a woman possessed. I brought up an additional screen that focused on Lelouch racing down towards the battle field on one of the space bikes that were parked outside our vehicle. My eyes burned into the screen, following the lanky figure as he sped towards his certain death. Meanwhile, I could already feel him beginning to awaken his powers and I easily kept up with his pace, subjugating the alien presence.  
 _  
“I believe you had a valid reason.”_

 _“…. People like you, with a criminal record…”_

 _“Are you mad at me?”  
_  
I rubbed my head in mounting frustration as I recalled his words. My feelings were in turmoil and I felt like pulling my hair out to get them to settle.  
 _  
Stay here…_

_Stay._  
  
“Fuck.” I stood up suddenly, my chair rolling back across the floor. Stomping towards the weapon arsenal, I grabbed a crossbow and checked to see that it was loaded.

“What are you doing?” Kallen raised her eyebrows, questioning my actions.  
“I’m going too,” I replied curtly.  
“Then I’m going as well.” Gilbert stood up.

“No. One person needs to man the console and one person needs to be in charge of driving if it comes down to that. And of course, that includes babysitting Euphy here.” I tilted my head towards an indignant Euphy while I got ready.

“I’m sorry (F/N) but I can’t agree – “ Gilbert stopped, slowly raising his hands up as I aimed my weapon at him.

Kallen and Euphy stared at me, wide-eyed. “You wouldn’t shoot,” Kallen snorted.

“Try me.” 

The malice that laced my words shut Kallen up and nobody dared to stop me as I retreated towards the door, the crossbow still pointed at them. With my free hand, I slid the door open and stepped out. I ran to the last space bike parked in front, hopped on and sped off, leaving a trail of dust in my wake.

As I headed to where I had last tracked Lelouch, I felt him using his telekinesis on something. More and more power was being extracted and I sensed that his energy was slowly waning. Muttering a silent prayer, I floored the accelerator, zooming past buildings at top speed.

I glanced at every alley way I passed, hoping to find Lelouch quickly. Although I tried to help out as much as possible, he was already close to his limit. 

“Come on, come on!” I coaxed the bike to greater speeds. I rounded the last corner and as I turned to look down the alley, Lelouch stopped using his telekinesis. Gulping in fear, I hoped that it meant that he had succeeded.

I turned. My jaw dropped open as I saw Lelouch kneeling down beside his bike, one arm draped over its body. In front of him, the alien stood in the clearing with the left half of its body lifted off from the ground and leaning on its right half. A large water tank laid on the ground beside it, water gushing out from underneath. 

As I sped towards Lelouch, I saw Suzaku leaping towards the exposed belly of the alien, his claws ready to dig in and end its life. The battle was finally ending. But as I relaxed slightly, the alien turned towards my general direction and hissed, its hideous tongue once again darting out towards…. Not me, but….

_Lelouch!_

There wasn’t enough time for me to aim at it with my crossbow. The only thing I could do was….

With a growl, I gunned the engine, covering the distance between me and Lelouch within seconds. The bike screeched in protest as I swerved right in front of him. In a split second, the alien’s tongue reached me and I closed my eyes in anticipation of the impact.

I barely had time to brace my body before I felt the burning and stinging sensation of electricity coursing through me, sending me flying a few feet back.

And then….

 

Nothing.


	20. First Piece Of The Puzzle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **(AU Note: For maximum effect, listen to[this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-ZWDCNDU-M))**

_Hushed voices drifted through the half-open door of the office, beckoning the young teenage girl. She had woken up from a frightful nightmare and was on the way to the kitchen to fix herself a cup of hot chocolate to calm her nerves. As she silently padded down the hallway, she heard her parents discussing something. That was not uncommon as the two of them were famous scientists and often worked late into the night. But the hushed voices held a certain urgency, which piqued her curiosity._

_Tiptoeing closer to the office, she stealthily peeked into the room. Her father was seated in his work chair, his head bowed, one hand holding a cigarette, the other cupping his head. He looked weary and defeated. Her mother paced the room, hands crossed over her chest, her face scrunched in deep thought. Thinking that it was probably work-related problems, the girl almost turned to leave when her mother’s voice broke the silence._

_“Shouldn’t we leak it out to the press?”_

_The girl was puzzled. It sounded like her parents were contemplating something illegal. That didn’t sound like them. They were upright, honest citizens who greatly contributed to society. She remained glued to the door, straining to hear every word they said._

_Her father drew on his cigarette before speaking. “You know we can’t.”_

_Biting her fingers habitually, her mother replied, her voice strained. “But what we’re doing… how can we continue performing these atrocities when we know what happens if we succeed?”_

_Her father looked up at his wife, his eyes plagued with worry and doubt. “But if we do, you know what they’ll do to us… and (F/N).”_

_The girl’s eyes widened in shock. The conversation was getting heavy and somehow, her parents’ lives and hers were threatened by some unknown third party. Her heart thumped furiously and she gulped in fear. Things seemed to be spiraling out of control and she didn’t want to hear any more of this talk but she was rooted to the spot._

_“They couldn’t possibly – “  
“They can,” her father replied in a defeated tone._

_A whimper escaped from the girl’s lips subconsciously. Her parents whirled around and when they saw her, their eyes widened. Her mother gasped while her father made his way across the room to the girl. Kneeling down, he hugged the shaking girl and whispered in her ear._

_“I’m sorry.”_

 

My eyes flew open, only to be blinded by white fluorescent light. Blinking a few times, I took in my surroundings. Based on the smell of disinfectant, I must be in the medical bay. I turned my head to the right, gasping slightly at the sight of Lelouch seated beside my bed, his head resting on the covers. At the sound of my voice, his eyelids fluttered as he slowly opened his eyes.

He looked up and smiled. “Ah you’re up, (F/N).” Then he frowned as he studied me. “Are you ok? You look a bit pale.”

I glanced down at my body and realized how heavily I was perspiring. My whole body was drenched in sweat. It must have been because of the nightmare I had. 

_But was it really a dream? Or was that my memory?_

It had seemed so realistic that I found it hard to believe that it could be a figment of my imagination. Yet I never remembered this incident and it worried me to no end as to the ramifications of my parents’ words. What had they been researching? Was it related to what was happening now? Was that why they..

“(F/N)?” Lelouch’s voice shook me from my dazed state.

I waved his question off with a simple shake of my head and a curt “Yeah, I’m fine.” 

He didn’t buy into my answer, eyeing me doubtfully, but he dropped the question.

“What happened to me?” I diverted the conversation. “The last thing I remember is swerving my bike in front of you.”

“Well, the alien’s tongue hit you and you flew a couple of feet back due to the impact and electric shock. You suffered some cuts on your arms and legs and you have a few fractured ribs but other than that, you’re pretty fine.” Lelouch gave a run-down of my condition rather matter-of-factly and I was relieved to hear there was no major damage to my body after pulling off such a stunt.

Gesturing at him, I motioned to the controller located at the foot of my bed. “Can you prop me up? I can’t think properly when I’m lying down.”

Nodding, he picked up the thin rod-like controller which immediately rolled out a holographic screen at the touch of his fingertips. His fingers danced across the screen and the bed began to raise my head up slowly. Once it clicked into position, I let out a small sigh, feeling much more at ease.

“I’m sorry, (F/N).”

I snapped my head back to look at Lelouch whose head was bowed, elbows resting on his knees. He looked deadly serious, his gaze fixed on a single spot on my bed, not looking me in the eye.

“For what?” I watched him suspiciously.

Glancing sideways at me, he answered, “For saying that the company brings in people with criminal records like you.”

I didn’t respond, indicating that he should elaborate further. Taking my cue, he continued, “I didn’t mean that you were a bad person or that I was looking down on you or sneering at you. I was just laying down the facts. A bit untactfully, it would seem.”

I clenched my hands tightly on my lap but my facial expression gave away nothing. 

In a calm tone, I asked, “You’re making me sound incredibly sensitive here. What makes you think that I’m upset about this?”

“No, I think you had every right to be sensitive about it. As a friend, I shouldn’t have done that.”

My eyes narrowed and this time there was a sharp edge in my voice as I spoke. “As I said before, why do you think I’m upset because of some silly words you tossed around?”

Lelouch did not flinch at my harsh words. He answered simply. “You want to seem strong, (F/N) but it is okay to show your weakness sometimes among friends.”

I felt my heart tighten painfully as my eyes threatened to water. Despite the urge to just break down in tears, my self-defense instinct kicked in and instead, I let out a high-pitched cackle, startling Lelouch who stared at me wide-eyed. “That’s precious. Where did you get that from? Google? And how do I know that you can be considered a…” I lifted my hands, wiggling my index and middle fingers to denote imaginary quotation marks. “… friend.”

Looking me straight in the eye, Lelouch replied, “People make mistakes. And I hope you’ll forgive me this once. Whether I’m a friend… you’ll have to decide that for yourself.”

We stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, neither wanting to turn away which was akin to admitting defeat. His violet eyes bore into mine with an unnerving intensity. I studied his expression thoroughly and could only detect his sincerity.

With a resigned sigh, I broke my gaze away from him. “Fine, I forgive you.”

Lelouch broke into a smile of relief. “Thank you, (F/N). I have to say, Shirley really understands you well.”

“Wha- “

“I asked her to help me figure out why you were mad,” he said with a devilish grin.

My eyes widened in shock. “Why you – “ I raised myself off the bed, wanting to smack him in the head, but a sharp jolt of pain coursed through my body, making me wince.

“(F/N)! Are you alright?” Lelouch got up from his seat, leaping to my aid. “I think you should lie down.”

Slowly lowering myself onto the bed, I wagged a finger at him. “I know I shouldn’t have trusted you.”

Lelouch held his hands up in defense. “Hey, I needed some clue as to what I did wrong. It’s not easy to figure out what’s going on inside the head of a brilliant killer..”

I shot him a death glare but he smoothly finished his sentence.

“… who also saved my life which I do need to thank you for.”

“Nice save,” I snorted.

He smiled and sat back down. “She also said that you killed out of revenge and that I should ask you about it.”

Seeing me staring at him, he continued, “And she also said if you didn’t tell me, she would tell me herself.”

I slapped my forehead in annoyance, biting my lips to suppress the anger that was building up inside of me. Why couldn’t Shirley mind her own business for once? She probably had good intentions but telling a stranger my personal issues was seriously overboard. Alright, I had to thank her for getting Lelouch to apologize but I wanted to kill her once I got out of this damn bed. Not that it would make a difference.

I contemplated telling him a lie but that wouldn’t do since Shirley would find out and tell him the whole truth. Finally, I elected on giving him the bare minimum details. It would keep him and Shirley off my case.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I looked him straight in the eye. “I killed a man who was responsible for the deaths of my parents.”

Lelouch took the information pretty well, his eyes widening slightly before he looked away. When he turned to face me, his expression displayed sympathy for my plight but a flicker in his eyes made me think he was hiding away his own pain. 

“I’m sorry (F/N)… I …. understand the loss of a parent in that manner and I know what you must have gone through – “

“No no no. It’s not what you think it is.” I waved my hands in disagreement, trying to cover up the weakness I must have shown. “They were my adoptive parents.”

Lelouch frowned. “But you loved them, so – “

“Ah, I did it because I felt I owed them and needed to repay my debt. Not because of love,” I firmly stated.

Obviously, Lelouch didn’t believe my explanation at all, dubiously eyeing me. He was about to question me further when the room door abruptly swung open and Nina walked in. The two of us turned to face her, Lelouch annoyed at the interruption whereas I was glad for the distraction.

“(F/N), I see you’re up and healthy. That’s perfect. I brought your laptop so you can work on writing a report about the entire battle with the alien.” Nina tapped the computer that was snugly under her arm.

Before I could protest, she placed my laptop on my lap and made for the door, leaving her final words. “I expect it by the end of today.” 

When the door closed shut behind her, I let out a string of curses under my breath as I woke my computer up from its slumber. 

“You shouldn’t have to do this, (F/N),” Lelouch said sympathetically.

“Ah hell, we all know Nina is a slave-driver,” I replied, typing in my password and watching the screen flicker to life.

“Have you guys done yours?” I asked, to which Lelouch merely nodded.

A pop-up window flashed with the words, “Key found. Open?”

I tilted my head to one side, wondering what it meant. And then it struck me that it was saying that the contents of Nina’s hard drive had been decrypted.

My hands trembled in excitement which went unnoticed by Lelouch. Cocking his eyebrows at me, he gestured to my laptop. “Anything wrong?”

“No.” I shook my head vigorously. “Do you mind scooting a little closer and helping me with the report? My memory is a bit fuzzy.”

Taking the hint, he slid his chair closer and looked at my screen. I opened up the contents of Nina’s hard drive and showed it to him. His lips turned upwards in a small grin and he nodded. “Okay, let’s get this started. I think we should start with the announcement of the attack.”

Under keyword search, I typed in two words, “alien hybrid” which resulted in at least half a dozen hits. I clicked on the first one and an email filled the screen.

_  
Dear Sir Bismarck,_

_I have four confirmed test subjects that have successfully adapted to their current alien hybrid state. We’re ready to proceed to the next stage for field tests and await your orders._

_Yours sincerely,_  
Dr. Nina Einstein.  


I gulped anxiously, for Sir Bismarck was the CEO of our company and this email confirmed our suspicions that everything from the beginning was a setup, including the second alien attack we had just gone through. Lelouch must have been thinking the same thing for he too wore a grim expression.

We had no idea what we were in for nor how high this web of conspiracy extended to. We were stuck on a planet far from Earth with aliens that had attacked us twice. Communications were monitored and we had limited options of contacting home. We knew not who we could ask help from on this planet nor what we would do once we got that help. But there was one thing that that we did have now. We had each other.

I looked at Lelouch who nodded at me, the two of us wearing a determined look on our faces.

 

One piece of the puzzle had fallen into place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the conclusion of Arc 1! The story is NOT over. In fact, it's far from over. It has just begun. XD So don't worry, there's more to come. I'll be planning Arc 2 and stuff for a while so it will be some time before I post the next part.
> 
> Please do wait for it and I promise you won't be disappointed~ And a big thank you to everyone who has followed this series!


	21. Arc 2 is Out!

The chapter title is pretty explanatory.... chapter 1 of arc 2 is out!!  
Sorry for the long delay but I hope it'll be worth it~ 

Check it out here --> [Ascension](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5895139/chapters/13588654)


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